The Federal Government has signalled a renewed push to reduce Nigeria’s dependence on imported military hardware, seeking technology transfer, joint production and local manufacturing partnerships with Türkiye.
The Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa (retd.), disclosed this on Wednesday at the 7th Nigeria–Türkiye Defence Industry Business Forum held at in Abuja.
Musa said Nigeria was seeking to transform its defence relationship with Türkiye from a predominantly buyer-seller arrangement into a mutually beneficial industrial partnership built around local production, technology transfer, research and development and skills acquisition.
“We must therefore progressively move beyond a predominantly buyer–seller relationship towards a more balanced and mutually beneficial partnership founded on joint production, local manufacturing, technology transfer, research and development, maintenance, repair and overhaul, skills development and sustainable industrial cooperation,” the minister said.
He said the Federal Government was determined to build a strong, self-reliant and globally competitive defence industrial base, adding that the country’s ambition extended beyond meeting its immediate military requirements.
According to him, Nigeria aims to develop an industrial ecosystem capable of positioning the country as a competitive defence manufacturing hub in Africa while creating jobs, developing skilled professionals, strengthening domestic supply chains and promoting innovation.
The minister said the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria Act 2023 had provided a legal and institutional framework for advancing local defence production and attracting private-sector participation, strategic investment and partnerships with international manufacturers.
Musa said Nigeria was particularly interested in partnerships that would enable the country to acquire the expertise and industrial capacity required to manufacture, maintain, upgrade and sustain defence equipment.
“Technology transfer and local capacity development must therefore remain central considerations in our engagements,” he said.
“The ultimate measure of success should not simply be the delivery of a platform or system, but the extent to which Nigerian personnel, institutions and industries acquire the knowledge and capabilities to sustain and further develop that capability.”
The minister identified unmanned systems, artificial intelligence, advanced communications, cyber capabilities, precision systems, surveillance technologies and space-based assets as some of the emerging technologies Nigeria must develop the capacity to acquire and eventually manufacture and maintain.
He said Nigeria considered Türkiye’s transformation into a major and increasingly self-reliant defence industrial power as a model from which the country could draw lessons.
“Nigeria therefore views the Turkish defence industry not merely as a source of equipment, but as a strategic partner in our defence industrialisation journey,” Musa said.
He urged Nigerian and Turkish companies participating in the forum to move beyond general expressions of interest and develop concrete partnerships with clear objectives, timelines, investment commitments and measurable outcomes.
Musa said Nigeria was open to credible partnerships in joint ventures, co-production, technology licensing and transfer, local manufacturing and assembly, component production, maintenance and repair, research and development, training and defence supply-chain integration.
The Minister of State for Defence, Dr Bello Matawalle, also said the forum offered an opportunity for both countries to move from dialogue towards practical investment, local production and long-term industrial cooperation.
The renewed push comes as Nigeria seeks to strengthen its indigenous defence manufacturing capacity and reduce its vulnerability to disruptions in external supply chains through increased local production and technology partnerships.
In His goodwill message The Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) reiterating an industrial cooperation with Türkiye said Nigeria’s defence partnership with Türkiye must move beyond the procurement of military equipment towards building local production capacity, technology partnerships and indigenous defence industries.
DICON stated that Nigeria–Türkiye Staff Talks, saying the outcome of the engagement should translate into concrete projects capable of strengthening Nigeria’s capacity to produce, maintain and sustain its defence requirements.
The corporation said recent global security developments had demonstrated that a country’s military strength was increasingly dependent not only on the equipment it acquired but also on its ability to produce, repair, adapt and innovate.
“A nation’s defence strength is not measured only by the equipment it acquires, but increasingly by its capacity to produce, sustain, repair, adapt and innovate,” DICON said.
It said the Federal Government was repositioning the corporation as a strategic vehicle for Nigeria’s defence industrialisation, with the implementation of the DICON Act 2023 providing a framework for increased innovation, research, private-sector participation, technology transfer and indigenous manufacturing.
DICON said the Nigeria–Türkiye partnership presented opportunities that extended beyond defence equipment procurement, stressing the need to combine Turkish technology and experience with Nigeria’s human capital, market and industrial potential.
“The real value lies in building productive partnerships that combine Turkish experience and technology with Nigeria’s market, human capital and industrial potential,” the corporation said.
It urged both countries to ensure that agreements reached during the Staff Talks were implemented through specific programmes and projects rather than ending as declarations of goodwill.
“Our collective responsibility should be to ensure that their outcomes do not end as well-written communiqués or expressions of goodwill. They must translate into actionable programmes, identifiable projects, technology partnerships, production lines, maintenance capabilities and skills development,” DICON said.
The corporation said the ultimate objective was to build what it described as defence production resilience, enabling Nigeria to increasingly meet its military requirements locally and reduce its vulnerability to disruptions in foreign supply chains.
“The ultimate objective should be to build defence production resilience—the capacity of Nigeria to increasingly sustain its defence requirements, withstand disruptions in external supply chains and progressively develop indigenous technological and industrial capability,” DICON added.
It said the corporation was prepared to serve as a platform for collaboration among the Federal Government, the Armed Forces, private-sector players, innovators and international partners in efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s defence manufacturing capacity.
DICON expressed appreciation to the Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa (retd.), the Minister of State for Defence, the Chief of Defence Staff, Service Chiefs and the Turkish delegation for their support and commitment to the Staff Talks.
The corporation urged Nigeria and Türkiye to use the engagement to move from discussions to practical cooperation capable of producing tangible results for the defence industries of both countries.
“Let these Staff Talks, therefore, mark not just another meeting between two friendly nations, but another step towards building, producing and innovating together,” DICON said.
