Africa and an arms trade treaty

This research paper examines the perceptions, support, and reservations of African countries regarding the proposed Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), a global initiative to establish universal standards for the legal trade of conventional weapons. It specifically analyzes the viewpoints of five African nations that participated in a United Nations Group of Governmental Experts (GGE) and discusses the potential benefits and challenges of implementing such a treaty across the continent.

• African countries generally support the development of an Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), with many existing regional agreements already incorporating similar principles. For instance, the Bamako Declaration calls for an end to the practice of dumping excess weapons in Africa, and the Nairobi Protocol's Best Practice Guidelines prohibit arms transfers intended for the suppression of human rights, acts of aggression, or the provocation of armed conflicts.
• The proposed ATT aims to establish universal standards for the import, export, and transfer of conventional weapons to prevent transfers to conflict zones and reduce human rights abuses. Key proposed principles include requiring state authorization for all transfers, prohibiting transfers that violate international law or human rights, and requiring states to submit annual reports to an international registry.
• Potential benefits of an ATT for African nations include increased transparency and accountability in procurement, a reduction in the dumping of excess weapons, and the promotion of national decision-making that aligns arms procurement with developmental needs rather than just security.
• Significant concerns exist regarding the cost and capacity required to implement a legally binding treaty. Many African states lack the financial and human resources to adopt new legislation or amend existing laws, and there are fears that the treaty could be used as a political tool by major exporting states to control importing nations.
• South Africa's position is complex because it is both an arms importer and exporter. While it supports the ATT, its domestic arms industry has tended to oppose it due to a heavy reliance on exports following defense budget cuts since 1994. Additionally, South Africa's National Conventional Arms Control Act (NCAC Act) already implements many of the proposed ATT principles, though the oversight committee (NCACC) lacks the capacity to fully fulfill its mandate.
• Among the GGE participants, Nigeria and Kenya have been strong supporters of a legally binding instrument. Nigeria has advocated for stronger wording and a faster process to prevent the diversion of licit small arms and light weapons (SALW) to illicit markets. Kenya has supported the treaty's feasibility but faced scrutiny in 2008 over a Ukrainian ship hijacked off the Somali coast containing arms not registered with the UN Register of Conventional Arms.
• Egypt and Algeria have expressed specific reservations or preferences. Egypt has suggested that the conventional arms trade be regulated through a politically binding agreement rather than a legally binding convention, citing concerns over the potential for the ATT to be politicized against developing countries. Algeria has emphasized the need for an agreement that encompasses all weapon categories, not just specific ones.

APA

Dye, D. (2009). Africa and an arms trade treaty. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Paper191.pdf

Chicago

Dye, Dominique. Africa and an arms trade treaty. Institute for Security Studies, 2009. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Paper191.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Dye |first1=Dominique |title=Africa and an arms trade treaty |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=August 2009 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Paper191.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{dye2009africa, author = {Dye, Dominique}, title = {{Africa and an arms trade treaty}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2009}, month = aug, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Paper191.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }