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High-Stakes Bet on Local Defense Tech: How Nigeria is Building Its Military Capability
High-Stakes Bet on Local Defense Tech: How Nigeria is Building Its Military Capability
Sputnik Africa
The Defense Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) has signed a deal with Terra Industries to expand domestic production of military equipment, in a move... 26.03.2026, Sputnik Africa
2026-03-26T17:19+0100
2026-03-26T17:19+0100
2026-03-26T17:19+0100
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High-Stakes Bet on Local Defense Tech: How Nigeria is Building Its Military Capability
Sputnik Africa
The Defense Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) has signed a deal with Terra Industries to expand domestic production of military equipment, in a move aimed at reducing reliance on foreign arms imports amid rising costs and security demands.
The joint venture aims to establish high‑technology military manufacturing in Nigeria, reducing the country’s reliance on imported defense hardware. Under the framework of the DICON Act 2023, passed by the government led by President Bola Tinubu, the partnership will set up domestic assembly lines and research programs for unmanned systems, cybersecurity tools, robotics, and other advanced equipment, while transferring expertise and training local engineers. The initiative supports Nigeria’s broader goal of becoming a regional hub for defense production and innovation, leveraging recent investment in indigenous companies and expanding the nation’s military industrial capacity.African Currents spoke with Zulaykhah Aileru, founder and CEO of Lagos‑based Secure Gates Limited, a strategic leader working at the intersection of security, technology, and governance. She discussed Nigeria’s emerging defense partnerships with private firms like Terra Industries, and how such collaborations can help African nations balance government oversight with the agility needed for defense innovation.Catch the full discussion on the African Currents podcast, presented by Sputnik Africa.Listen to this episode on our website or Telegram.► You can also stream the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Deezer, Pocket Casts, Afripods, Podcast Addict.► Subscribe to and explore all the episodes of African Currents.
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High-Stakes Bet on Local Defense Tech: How Nigeria is Building Its Military Capability
The Defense Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) has signed a deal with Terra Industries to expand domestic production of military equipment, in a move aimed at reducing reliance on foreign arms imports amid rising costs and security demands.
The joint venture aims to establish high‑technology military manufacturing in Nigeria, reducing the country’s reliance on imported defense hardware. Under the framework of the DICON Act 2023, passed by the government led by President Bola Tinubu, the partnership will set up domestic assembly lines and research programs for unmanned systems, cybersecurity tools, robotics, and other advanced equipment, while transferring expertise and training local engineers. The initiative supports Nigeria’s broader goal of becoming a regional hub for defense production and innovation, leveraging recent investment in indigenous companies and expanding the nation’s military industrial capacity.
African Currents spoke with Zulaykhah Aileru, founder and CEO of Lagos‑based Secure Gates Limited, a strategic leader working at the intersection of security, technology, and governance. She discussed Nigeria’s emerging defense partnerships with private firms like Terra Industries, and how such collaborations can help African nations balance government oversight with the agility needed for defense innovation.
"Collaborations like DICON and Terra Industries have the potential to actually do something very important for Africa. They can shift the confidence from fragmented efforts to actually coordinated innovation, because one of the biggest challenges in Africa right now, in the defense space, is that capabilities are often developed in silos. So, different countries are solving a similar problem, but not always learning from each other or building together. So, what partnerships like this do is to begin to set a model: where government provides structure, where the private sector drives innovation, and local capabilities are prioritized," Aileru said.
Catch the full discussion on the African Currents podcast, presented by Sputnik Africa.
Listen to this episode on our website or
Telegram.►
Subscribe to and explore all the episodes of African Currents.
