Egypt
Noted as one of the top weapons producers in Africa, Egypt has, since the 1820s, been producing its own arms, including warships, artillery, rifles, bombs and ammunition, said the Human Rights Watch. The government established ammunitions and small arms companies, as well as, aircraft factories that produce various weapons. In 1981, Egypt produced $400 million worth of arms in more than 30 factories, according to an article by Jim Paul. During the 1970s and 1980s, Egypt expanded and diversified its production of arms to achieve partial self-sufficiency and to develop an export market in the Middle East and Africa, reports Global Security. The country’s technicians and scientists were then producing several indigenous weapons systems. Last November, the country said it was looking at enhancing its status as an arms export source for several African countries.
