Nigeria is intensifying efforts to strengthen its indigenous defence industry, with plans to establish local production lines for armoured vehicles, anti-drone systems and other specialised military equipment.
The initiative is being driven by the Defence
Industries Corporation of Nigeria–D7G (DICON-D7G) in partnership with Eagles
International for Defence Systems, with the objective of increasing technology
transfer, expanding domestic manufacturing capacity and reducing the country’s
dependence on imported military hardware.
DICON-D7G is also planning a strategic military jetty
in Lagos within three months.
The Chief Executive Officer of DICON-D7G, Mr Osman
Chennar, disclosed this in a statement made available to newsmen, following a
two-day inspection tour of factories and military production facilities in
Cairo by the Minister of State for Defence, Dr Bello Mohammed Matawalle, and
his delegation.
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Chennar said the partnership would create more than
200 jobs while also providing employment opportunities for about 100 retired
military personnel.
He said, “The partnership is expected to create
employment for over 200 workers, in addition to providing opportunities for
approximately 100 retired military personnel.”
According to him, the arrangement would facilitate the
transfer of advanced defence technologies to Nigeria and enable the country to
manufacture a wider range of military platforms for its armed forces and
potentially other African countries.
Among the platforms targeted under the partnership are
the Armoured Multi-Purpose Vehicle BR6, Armoured Personnel Carrier cabin, 120mm
manual mortar launcher cabin, and medical evacuation and ambulance cabins.
Others include the MRAP-Buffalo U.10 and M.12 armoured
vehicles, MRAP-Buffalo F-4, Rhino Guard GXR anti-drone and RPG-protected
vehicle, APC Moon PT6, GXR Phantom light vehicle and BMP-2 Infantry Fighting
Vehicle.
Chennar said the development was part of a broader
strategy to build a sustainable Nigerian defence manufacturing ecosystem
capable of designing, assembling and producing military equipment locally.
The initiative comes as the Nigerian Army continues to
receive locally manufactured armoured vehicles as part of efforts to strengthen
indigenous defence production and enhance operational capacity.
Beyond vehicle manufacturing, DICON-D7G is also
planning the development of a dedicated military jetty in Lagos to support the
movement of raw materials, components and finished military equipment.
Chennar said the facility would serve as a strategic
logistics hub for the supply and distribution of military equipment within
Nigeria and across the African continent.
He further disclosed that the military jetty was
expected to be launched within the next two to three months.
He added, “DICON-D7G has planned the launching of its
Military Jetty in Lagos that will provide employment to over 200 retired
military personnel with over 1,000 civilians when the project takes off in the
next two to three months.”
The emerging defence-industrial strategy is expected
to have wider economic implications, including retaining defence expenditure
within the domestic economy, developing specialised technical skills and
reducing Nigeria’s reliance on foreign suppliers.
The company said the planned facilities and production
lines would ultimately position Nigeria to sustain its armed forces with
locally produced equipment during prolonged security operations while creating
the capacity to serve defence markets across Africa.
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