Middle-East and Africa Non-lethal Weapons Market

Middle-East And Africa Non-lethal Weapons Market Analysis

The Middle-East and Africa Non-lethal Weapons Market is expected to register a CAGR of 4% during the forecast period.

• The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic led to various countries implementing border restrictions as well as lockdowns which led to restrictions in terms of the supply of the components which are used to make the less lethal weapons. During the COVID-19 pandemic, manufacturing witnessed a steep decline due to supply chain disruption. Post the lockdown, however, the demand has surged on account of the ongoing political turmoil in some countries like Lebanon, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Tunisia, and Libya, leading to situations similar to an insurgency.
• The increasing dissatisfaction with the local governments in these countries is leading to an increase in major violence and riots, necessitating law enforcement agencies to utilize non-lethal methods for crowd management. This has led to an increase in orders to procure new non-lethal weapons to effectively tackle a dangerous situation.
• With the presence of very few players in non-lethal weapons manufacturers in this region, there is a profitable scenario for new companies to enter the Middle East and Africa non-lethal weapons market. However, the low GDPs of the African countries and recurring investments required to evolve a non-lethal weapon in compliance with developing industry norms may hamper the growth of the market.

Middle-East And Africa Non-lethal Weapons Market Trends

Law Enforcement Segment to Dominate Market Share During the Forecast Period

• Law enforcement agencies include special, local, state police, federal agencies, or drug enforcement administration that use non-lethal or less-lethal weapons to avoid injury to officers in close contact situations.
• In the past few years, violent attacks on law enforcement agents have increased in the Middle East and Africa, thereby prompting law enforcement agencies to provide their agents with non-lethal weapons, such as police batons, expandable batons, tasers, and other electronic stun devices and chemical agents, such as OC and CS, to protect themselves and others from threats possessed by violent suspects.
• Furthermore, civilian unrest in countries like Lebanon, Zimbabwe, Egypt, South Africa, Kenya, etc., is on the rise, forcing law enforcement agencies to increase the procurement of non-lethal weapons to control violent crowds efficiently. There have been grants by the governments for the use of advanced non-lethal weapons in case of emergencies.
• For instance, in 2022, the Inspector General of Nigerian Police announced the distribution of advanced non-lethal weapons for the police forces ahead of the 2023 general elections. The non-lethal weapons include long and short-range tear gas for civil disorder management and stun guns, thereby enabling law enforcement agencies to handle the crowd during moments of crisis. Such procurements by the local law enforcement agencies and police for riot prevention or crowd dispersal are anticipated to drive the market during the forecast period.

South Africa to Witness Significant Growth During The Forecast Period

• South Africa has one of the highest rates of public protests in the world, and there has been an increase in the number of protests in the country since 2008. The country is widely dubbed as the been dubbed protest capital of the world due to the instances of protests against the government's urban land and housing policies, Unequal and segregated distribution of land in both rural and urban areas, poor service delivery, governmental corruption, rampant crime, and unemployment amongst others.
• According to the SAHRC Community Protest Pamphlet, it is estimated that South Africa has more than 13 500 protests every year, of which the vast majority are non-violent. Moreover, according to the data released by the Institute for security studies, there has been an increase in the number of demonstrations and protests in South Africa during the lockdown, as the pandemic has exposed the socioeconomic weaknesses prevalent in the country due to poor policy implementation and a fundamental failure of political leadership.
• On this note, a total of 511 protests were recorded in the country during the COVID-19 lockdown. This led to an increase in the demand for non-lethal weapons, such as electric shock shields, rubber bullets, tear gas, stun guns, batons, as well as water cannons, by law enforcement agencies in South Africa.
• Moreover, in order to curb such protests, there has been an increase in terms of defense spending by the South African military for acquiring advanced non-lethal weapons such as high impact solid rounds, laser add-ons, and pepper rounds, amongst others. Thus, the increase in the number of riots in South Africa, coupled with increasing investments by South African defense personnel for acquiring new and advanced nonlethal weapons, will have a positive outlook on the market during the forecast period.

Middle-East And Africa Non-lethal Weapons Industry Overview

Some of the few prominent players in the Middle East and Africa's non-lethal weapons market are Safariland, LLC, Rheinmetall AG, Advanced Pyrotechnics LLC, ISPRA by EI Ltd., and Lamperd Less Lethal, amongst others. Currently, there are only a handful of non-lethal weapons manufacturers in this region. Hence, market penetration is easy for new players. Local companies are also collaborating to venture into the manufacturing of non-lethal weapons. For instance, Advanced Pyrotechnics LLC is a joint venture company between Tawazun & MP3, based in the UAE. The company was formed in 2016 and manufactures flashbang grenades, non-lethal 40 mm ammunition with different effects, colored and screening smoke, etc. However, the growth of local market players can impede the penetration and market share of international players in the region.

Middle-East And Africa Non-lethal Weapons Market Leaders

Middle-East And Africa Non-lethal Weapons Market News

• November 2022: Israel announced the installation of robotic weapons that can fire tear gas, stun grenades, and sponge-tipped bullets. These weapons utilize artificial intelligence (AI) to track targets, making them even more effective for crowd control and other tactical purposes.
• May 2021: Israel announced the induction of a new non-lethal weapon called the Skunk, developed by the Israeli company Odortec. The Skunk is a malodorant used for crowd control purposes.