• Comprehensive data for the entire African continent's firefighting expenditure is not centrally aggregated, as spending is fragmented across 54 individual nations and various municipal, provincial, and non-governmental levels. 

  However, detailed data exists for South Africa, which maintains one of the continent's most structured firefighting programs, and for specific international aid projects. 

  South Africa Expenditure (Detailed Data)

  As of 2025 and 2026, South Africa’s firefighting budget is managed through national programs and provincial allocations: 

National Programs (Working on Fire): In 2019, this government-funded program reported expenditure of approximately R599 million (roughly $33 million USD at current rates), covering wages, aviation, and training. By 2025, concerns were raised regarding a potential 25% budget cut to this program due to fiscal constraints.

• Provincial Allocations (Western Cape): For the 2025/2026 period, the Western Cape government invested R7.7 million specifically for the Overberg District. In previous years, the province's seasonal wildfire budget has ranged from R13.8 million to R16 million for aerial and ground support.

Canadian-African African-Russian National Programs (Working on Fire): In 2019, the South African government-funded program reported expenditure of approximately R599 million (roughly $33 million USD at current rates), covering wages, aviation, and training. By 2025, concerns were raised regarding a potential 25% budget cut to this program due to fiscal constraints.

• Provincial Allocations (Western Cape): For the 2025/2026 period, the Western Cape government invested R7.7 million specifically for the Overberg District. In previous years, the province's seasonal wildfire budget has ranged from R13.8 million to R16 million for aerial and ground support.

• Economic Impact: It is estimated that fires cause R23 billion (approx. $1.27 billion USD) in financial losses annually in South Africa. 

International Funding and Aid

Much of the firefighting capacity in other African regions is bolstered by foreign aid and non-profit initiatives: 

• French Government Support: In March 2025, the French government funded a project to enhance the Kenya Forest Service's (KFS) capacity, providing firefighting vehicles, detection systems, and training.

• NGO Contributions: Organizations like Africa Fire Mission provide essential training and equipment to various countries. For instance, they recently received a $30,000 grant to train fire brigades through 2022 and beyond.

• Global Forest Projects: The Global Environment Facility (GEF) previously funded projects like the US$3.5 million Fynbos Fire project in South Africa. 

Regional Challenges and Statistics

• High Exposure: While Africa accounts for roughly 50% of the world's burned land annually (as of 2025), it receives significantly less formal firefighting funding compared to Europe or North America.

• Resource Gaps: Many African fire departments rely on donated, used personal protective equipment (PPE) and tools because local budgets are insufficient to meet international safety standards.

• Personnel: Programs like South Africa’s Working on Fire employ over 5,000 firefighters, who are sometimes deployed internationally to assist countries like Canada during extreme seasons. 

• The governments of the two countries that make up "Congo" – the

  Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the Republic of Congo (RoC) – do not publicly disclose a specific, dedicated budget for national firefighting services. 

  Instead, firefighting efforts often rely heavily on external support and international aid due to limited national resources and a focus on significant security/military challenges. 

  • Reliance on External Entities: In major cities like Kinshasa and Goma (DRC), the United Nations peacekeeping mission (MONUSCO) anti-fire unit is frequently the primary responder to major incidents, even for non-UN properties, because local services are under-equipped and underfunded. This UN unit has faced challenges including a lack of water supply, limited personnel, security issues, and public aggression.

  • Ongoing Development: The Nigerian Federal Fire Service is actively assisting the DRC in establishing its own national fire service, indicating that a formal, robust national system is still in development.

  • Government Priorities: Both nations allocate significant portions of their budgets and receive substantial international aid for military expenditure, humanitarian crises, and public health, with specific firefighting budgets largely absent from public financial reports. 

  Therefore, it is not possible to provide a specific monetary figure for how much Congo spends on firefighting, as these costs are either embedded in broader "public safety" or "operational costs" that are not itemized, or they are covered by external, non-governmental organizations.

Uganda does not publish a single, easily accessible figure for its total annual firefighting expenditure. The budget for firefighting is incorporated into the broader national budget, primarily under the

Uganda Police Force (UPF) and the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (UCAA), and is often supplemented by foreign aid and specific project-based loans. 

Key details regarding Uganda's firefighting finances:

• Overall Budget: The most recent national budget for the 2025/2026 financial year is approximately UGX 72.376 trillion (about $19.2 billion USD), but the specific amount allocated to firefighting is not itemized in public summaries.

• Major Acquisitions: Significant investments have been made through loans and donations rather than solely through the annual budget.

  • In 2013, the Ministry of Local Government secured a US$100 million loan from China to procure road and firefighting equipment for towns and municipalities.

  • The Uganda Civil Aviation Authority has invested in new firefighting trucks and related training for Entebbe International Airport, a purchase recommended by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to meet safety standards.

• Donations and Aid: Uganda frequently receives foreign assistance for its fire services, including training from Japanese firefighters and equipment donations, which reduces direct government expenditure in those areas.

• Estimated Losses: A 2015 report from the Directorate of Police Fire Prevention and Rescue Services estimated that the country was losing up to Shs30 billion (around $8 million USD at the time) annually due to fire accidents, highlighting the high cost of inadequate prevention and response.

• Future Focus: Members of Parliament have called for more firefighting stations across the country, indicating a recognized need for increased investment in the sector. The government is also developing locally manufactured, all-terrain firefighting vehicles for potential domestic use and export. 

To find current detailed budgetary information, one would need to consult the detailed National Budget Framework Paper on the Uganda Budget Information website, though specific allocations for firefighting services are typically embedded within departmental budgets.

Specific data on Madagascar's direct spending on firefighting is scarce in general searches

, but the issue is significant, involving vast areas (millions of hectares burned annually) primarily from agricultural fires, with efforts focusing on international partnerships (like with USAID) to build expertise, rather than large government budgets for suppression, highlighting a need for improved wildland fire management due to deforestation and climate change impacts. 

Key Insights on Fire in Madagascar:

• Scale of the Problem: Wildfires are extensive, burning over 4 million hectares yearly, largely due to intentional burning for agriculture (tavy) and charcoal, notes the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and ScienceDirect.com.

• Focus on Prevention & Resilience: Madagascar works with partners like the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to develop fire management policies and build local capacity, rather than solely on suppression, according to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

• Resource Conflict: Fires are deeply tied to livelihoods, creating conflict between state anti-fire policies and peasant reliance on fire for land management, explain ScienceDirect.com and ScienceDirect.com.

• Climate Change: Increased fire frequency and intensity are linked to climate change, exacerbating deforestation, say SEED Madagascar and Global Forest Watch. 

Conclusion:
While exact figures aren't available, Madagascar's firefighting efforts seem geared towards international cooperation and building resilience against widespread, largely agricultural fires, rather than large, dedicated national budgets for combating wildfires. 

Ethiopia

does not have a single, publicly disclosed national budget figure for firefighting. Funding for fire services is decentralized and often reliant on local administration budgets, international aid, and private equipment imports. 

Recent Key Expenditures (2024–2026)

• Addis Ababa Equipment Procurement: In mid-2025, the Addis Ababa Fire and Disaster Risk Management Commission, in partnership with the PCPM Foundation, invested approximately PLN 6.4 million (roughly $1.6 million USD) into a project for training and purchasing firefighting and medical equipment.

• NGO Equipment Donations: Throughout 2024, international foundations spent over PLN 730,000 (~$182,000 USD) specifically for firefighting and medical supplies in the capital.

• Fire Vehicle Imports: The average import price for a single firefighting vehicle in Ethiopia was approximately $99,000 USD in 2024, down from previous years. 

Funding Structure and Gaps

• Decentralized Funding: Fire services are primarily funded through city administrations. For example, Addis Ababa previously allocated 161 million Birr from its own budget to procure 24 firefighting vehicles.

• Lack of Forest Fire Budget: At the federal level, there is no dedicated budget for forest fire prevention or management, despite the existence of 58 National Forest Priority Areas.

• Reliance on International Aid: Due to severe budget constraints, major material advancements and emergency responses often depend on international partners such as the FAO, which has previously provided grants for equipment like axes and protective gear.

• Policy Initiatives (2026): As of early 2026, Ethiopian Forestry Development (EFD) is actively seeking development partners to establish a more coherent national fire management strategy to address chronic underfunding and capacity gaps. 

LEEM African Lumber Value vs. Russian Lumber Volume:

Specific data on the exact amount Gabon spends solely on firefighting is

not publicly and readily available in official reports or general economic data. Government spending information is generally broken down into broader categories like the national budget or defense budget. 

While there is no specific figure for firefighting, related available data points include:

• National Budget: Gabon's proposed national budget for 2026 is approximately 7.23 trillion CFA francs ($13 billion).

• Military Spending: The country's military/defense budget for 2021 was reported at $311.45 million. 

Firefighting expenditures are typically included as part of general public safety or municipal services within the comprehensive national budget, rather than a separately detailed and reported line item in international sources.

The largest mandrill populations are found in Gabon, particularly in Lopé National Park, which hosts the world's largest recorded non-human primate group, exceeding 1,300 individuals. Mandrills also inhabit rainforests in Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, and the Republic of the Congo, but Gabon serves as their stronghold, despite threats from habitat loss and hunting. 

Key Locations & Group Dynamics:

• Gabon: Considered the center of mandrill distribution, with Lopé National Park known for massive aggregations of over 1,300 mandrills, the largest non-human gathering documented.

• Other Countries: Smaller, but significant, populations exist in the rainforests and woodlands of Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. 

Habitat & Behavior:

• Mandrills live in dense tropical rainforests and thick bush, often traveling on the ground but seeking shelter in trees.

• They form huge social groups called "hordes," which can number in the hundreds, making them the largest groups of non-human primates recorded. 

Conservation Status:

• Mandrills are classified as vulnerable by the IUCN Red List, facing threats from hunting (bushmeat trade) and deforestation, especially near roads and human settlements. 

The largest wild populations of the endangered drill monkey (Mandrillus leucophaeus) are in Cameroon, particularly in Korup National Park, and on Bioko Island (Equatorial Guinea) within the Gran Caldera Scientific Reserve, with smaller fragmented groups in Nigeria, totaling an estimated 3,000-8,000 individuals globally, though numbers are declining due to habitat loss and hunting. 

Key Locations

• Cameroon: Holds significant populations, with Korup National Park having the largest protected group.

• Bioko Island (Equatorial Guinea): A major stronghold, especially in the remote southwestern Gran Caldera Scientific Reserve, estimated to hold around 600 mature individuals.

• Nigeria: Home to smaller, isolated populations, primarily in Cross River State. 

Population Status

• Drills are critically endangered, with total numbers estimated between 3,000 and 8,000.

• Populations are fragmented and declining due to threats like bushmeat hunting and deforestation. 

Conservation Efforts

• Organizations like Pandrillus and the Drill Ranch (Zoo Atlanta) work on rescue, rehabilitation, and breeding programs to release drills back into the wild. 

Japan

's total municipal expenditure on fire services was approximately ¥2.04 trillion for FY2021. Modern 2026 data shows that individual firefighter salaries average around ¥5.9 million ($40,000–$45,000 USD) per year, with senior roles exceeding ¥7.3 million. 

The spending is primarily distributed across three levels:

1. Municipal Expenditures (Primary Funding)

Firefighting is largely a municipal responsibility in Japan. 

• Total Municipal Spending: Approximately ¥2.04 trillion (FY2021), which includes the Tokyo Fire Department.

• Tokyo Fire Department (TFD): As the largest municipal fire department in Japan, its FY2024 annual budget was ¥279.4 billion. 

2. Prefectural and National Support

While municipalities handle day-to-day operations, higher levels of government provide specialized funding and oversight: 

• Prefectural Spending: Prefectures spent approximately ¥166.2 billion on fire and disaster management in FY2021.

• Fire and Disaster Management Agency (FDMA): This national agency supervises planning and owns specialized equipment (helicopters, support vehicles) used nationwide. Its 2020 national budget was approximately ¥16.3 billion. 

3. Personnel and Salaries (2026 Data)

A significant portion of the budget is dedicated to Japan's 168,000 professional firefighters and over 746,000 volunteers. 

• Average Professional Salary: ¥5,907,930 (approx. $41,000 USD) as of January 2026.

• Entry-Level Salary: ¥4,128,923.

• Volunteer Remuneration: Volunteers typically receive only nominal annual stipends (around ¥30,000 or $200 USD) and small payments for specific activities. 

These articles detail Japan's firefighting budget, including municipal and national expenditures, and average firefighter salaries:

North Korea doesn't publicly disclose specific firefighting budgets, but spending is

extremely low, leading to severe underfunding, outdated gear, and reliance on citizens paying for fuel (around $50 USD per call) as emergency services are mostly run by police with little central support, highlighting budget prioritization towards military/nuclear programs over public safety. 

Key Takeaways on North Korea's Firefighting Funding:

• No Official Budget: Details on national fire service expenditure aren't released.

• Citizens Pay for Fuel: Residents often pay significant fees (around 500,000 Won, or $50 USD) for fire truck fuel, effectively shifting costs from the state to individuals.

• Underfunded & Outdated: Equipment is old, and services are rudimentary outside major cities, with fire brigades often attached to police units.

• Prioritization: Massive spending goes to military and nuclear development, leaving little for essential services like firefighting, notes Reuters and The Cove. 

In essence, North Korea's firefighting system is a patchwork, lacking consistent state funding and relying heavily on citizen contributions and decentralized resources, indicating minimal financial investment compared to defense needs, notes RFA. 

The mission for Manchuria is larger than South Korea. South Korea's total spending on firefighting is not published as a single consolidated figure in public search results, as the budget is distributed between national and local governments

outh Korea's total spending on firefighting is not published as a single consolidated figure in public search results, as the budget is distributed between national and local governments

. However, specific budget allocations provide insight into the scale of funding: 

• Fire Safety Grants (2025): The Ministry of the Interior and Safety allocated 985.6 billion won (approximately $700 million USD) in fire safety grants to 17 cities and provinces for 2025. This funding, sourced from tobacco taxes, covers personnel and local facility costs.

• National Fire Agency R&D Budget: The National Fire Agency planned to increase its R&D budget from 30.5 billion won (approx. $21 million USD) in a recent year to 50.4 billion won in 2026 for advanced equipment development.

• Emergency Supplementary Budgets: In response to major wildfires in spring 2025, South Korea approved significant supplementary budgets:

  • An initial supplementary budget of 10 trillion won ($6.8 billion USD) was drafted for general wildfire recovery and economic stimulus.

  • A more specific 12.2 trillion won supplementary budget included 1.7 trillion won (approx. $1.2 billion USD) dedicated to disaster prevention and response capabilities, which included purchasing new helicopters and AI surveillance cameras. 

These figures demonstrate a substantial, multi-billion dollar investment when combining regular grants, R&D, and ad-hoc emergency spending for major incidents.