Top 10 African countries with the largest fleet of escort warships in 2024

Piracy continues to pose a substantial threat to African waterways, notably in the Gulf of Guinea and around the Somali coast.

This is where escort warships such as Frigates and corvettes, outfitted with superior radar, weapons, and rapid reaction capabilities, come in play.

Escort warships are navy boats that are explicitly constructed and equipped to safeguard other ships, especially those that are valuable or vulnerable, during maritime operations.

These ships, which include frigates, corvettes, destroyers, and occasionally smaller patrol boats, act as defensive layers, protecting commercial ships, supply convoys, and bigger warships from submarines, aircraft, and surface attacks.

Escort warships are frequently part of a task force or convoy and are critical to the safety and effectiveness of naval and commercial operations.

Global trade depends on Africa’s marine routes, including the Cape of Good Hope and the Suez Canal. African countries can protect these trade channels from risks like terrorism, piracy, or geopolitical disputes by sending frigates and corvettes.

Increased regional commerce and economic stability are directly correlated with secure trade routes.

Furthermore, illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing costs African economies billions of dollars each year while depleting marine biodiversity. These escort warships could help mitigate this challenge.

With that said, here are the African countries with the most escort warships, according to data from Global Firepower.

No African country boasts any destroyers, according to Global Firepower, hence the focus on corvettes and frigates.