Nigeria is intensifying efforts to build a strong, self-reliant and globally competitive defence industrial base, Defence Minister General Christopher Musa (rtd.) has said.
Musa disclosed this on Wednesday while speaking at the 7th Nigeria–Türkiye Defence Industry Business Forum held at Transcorp Hilton, Abuja.
He said the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) Act 2023 provides the legal and institutional foundation needed to advance the country’s defence industrial ambitions.
According to him, the legislation also creates opportunities for increased private-sector participation, strategic investment, technology transfer and partnerships with reputable international defence manufacturers.
Musa said Nigeria’s ambition extends beyond meeting its immediate security needs, stressing that the country wants to develop an industrial ecosystem capable of transforming Nigeria into a competitive defence manufacturing hub in Africa.
“Our ambition goes beyond meeting Nigeria’s immediate defence requirements. We seek to develop an industrial ecosystem capable of positioning Nigeria as a competitive defence manufacturing hub in Africa—one that creates quality employment, develops highly skilled Nigerian professionals, strengthens domestic supply chains, promotes innovation and contributes to national security, as well as broader economic development.”
The minister described the Nigeria–Türkiye forum as an opportunity to deepen the longstanding bilateral relationship and convert it into practical industrial partnerships and sustainable investments.
He called for a shift from a predominantly buyer-seller relationship to a more balanced partnership centred on joint production, local manufacturing, technology transfer, research and development, maintenance, repair and overhaul, skills development and sustainable industrial cooperation.
Musa stressed that Nigeria must develop the capacity to not only acquire modern defence technologies but also understand, adapt, manufacture, maintain and improve them locally.
He said achieving this would require stronger collaboration among the government, Armed Forces, research institutions, academia and the private sector, backed by sustained investment in innovation and human capital.
The Defence Minister also pointed to the increasingly complex and technology-driven nature of modern warfare, citing the growing importance of unmanned systems, artificial intelligence, advanced communications, cyber capabilities, precision systems, surveillance technologies and space-based assets.
Meanwhile, the Head of the Turkish Defence Delegation, Gokman Ucar, said the forum could usher in a new phase in the defence partnership between Nigeria and Türkiye.
Ucar said bringing defence companies from both countries together would create opportunities for collaboration in areas including joint production and technology transfer.
He said discussions would also examine Nigeria’s regulatory and investment framework for establishing strategic partnerships.
Also speaking, the Minister of State for Defence, Dr Bello Matawalle, said the DICON Act 2023 had established a framework for expanding local defence production, encouraging private-sector participation and facilitating strategic partnerships.
Matawalle urged stakeholders to use the forum to move beyond discussions and identify practical opportunities for investment, local manufacturing and long-term industrial cooperation.
He specifically called for the exploration of joint production, technology licensing, co-development and localisation models.
Earlier, the Director-General of DICON, Major General Babatunde Ibrahim Alaya, said the corporation was broadening its focus beyond traditional defence equipment production to develop an integrated ecosystem driven by innovation, research, private-sector participation, technology transfer and indigenous manufacturing.
Alaya said Nigeria’s partnership with Türkiye offered opportunities beyond the procurement of defence equipment.
He stressed that combining Türkiye’s technological experience with Nigeria’s market, human capital and industrial potential could create productive partnerships capable of strengthening the country’s defence industry.
According to him, the ultimate goal is to build Nigeria’s defence production resilience, enabling the country to increasingly meet its own defence needs, withstand disruptions in external supply chains and develop indigenous technological and industrial capabilities.