Nigeria Committed to Building Self-Reliant, Globally Competitive Defence Industrial Base -General C.G. Musa (Rtd.)

By Anthonia N. Okwuolise, Abuja

The Federal Government has reaffirmed its strong commitment to building a self-reliant, technologically advanced and globally competitive defence industrial base capable of meeting Nigeria’s strategic security needs while contributing to job creation, economic growth and national development.

The Minister of Defence, General C. G. Musa (Rtd.), stated this in Abuja while delivering his keynote address at the 7th Nigeria-Türkiye Defence Industry Business Forum, where he emphasised the need for Nigeria to deepen indigenous defence production and develop stronger partnerships with international defence industries.

According to the Minister, the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) Act 2023 provides an important institutional and legal framework for advancing the country’s defence industrialisation ambitions, while creating greater opportunities for private-sector participation, strategic investment, technology transfer and partnerships with reputable international defence manufacturers.

General Musa said Nigeria’s ambition goes beyond simply meeting its immediate defence requirements, stressing that the country is seeking to develop an industrial ecosystem capable of positioning Nigeria as 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,” he said.

He explained that the vision had become particularly important given the increasingly complex and technology-driven nature of the global security environment.

According to him, contemporary conflicts have demonstrated the growing importance of unmanned systems, artificial intelligence, advanced communications, cyber capabilities, precision systems, surveillance technologies, space-based assets and other emerging technologies.

He therefore stressed that Nigeria must develop the capacity not only to acquire such technologies, but also to understand, adapt, manufacture, maintain, upgrade and continuously improve them.

“Nigeria must therefore build the capacity not only to acquire such capabilities, but also to understand, adapt, manufacture, maintain and continuously improve them,” the Minister stated.

He noted that achieving such an ambitious objective would require strong partnerships among government, the Armed Forces, research institutions, academia and industry, backed by sustained investment in innovation and human capital.

General Musa described Türkiye’s transformation into a major and increasingly self-reliant defence industrial power as an important example for Nigeria and other countries seeking to develop indigenous defence capabilities.

He said Türkiye’s experience demonstrated what could be achieved through sustained government commitment, deliberate investment in indigenous research and development, innovation, strong private-sector participation, effective institutional coordination and close collaboration among government, the military, research institutions and industry.

“Türkiye has demonstrated what can be achieved through sustained government commitment, deliberate investment in indigenous research and development, innovation, strong private-sector participation, effective institutional coordination and close collaboration between government, the Armed Forces, research institutions and industry,” he said.

The Minister stressed that Nigeria therefore views the Turkish defence industry not merely as a source of military equipment, but as a strategic partner in the country’s broader defence industrialisation journey.

He said Nigeria was interested in learning from Türkiye’s experience and adapting relevant aspects of that experience to the country’s own circumstances, requirements and strategic interests.

“We believe that a stronger Nigeria–Türkiye defence industrial partnership can create opportunities not only for our two countries, but also for the wider African market,” he said.

General Musa noted that Nigeria’s strategic location, growing economy, substantial human capital and large domestic market provide a strong foundation for partnerships capable of serving both national and regional requirements.

He said the 7th Nigeria-Türkiye Defence Industry Business Forum was therefore expected to give practical expression to the shared vision of both countries, particularly through discussions on strategic defence partnerships, technology transfer, co-production, local content, investment opportunities, incentives, procurement processes and regulatory frameworks.

The Minister encouraged Nigerian and Turkish companies participating in the Forum to identify specific, commercially viable and technologically meaningful areas of cooperation, stressing that the time had come to move beyond general expressions of interest to partnerships with clearly defined objectives, timelines, investment commitments, production arrangements and measurable outcomes.

“To our Turkish partners, our message is clear: Nigeria is open to strategic defence-industrial partnerships and responsible investment,” he stated.

He said the country welcomed credible partnerships in areas including joint ventures, co-production, technology licensing and transfer, local manufacturing and assembly, component production, maintenance, repair and overhaul, research and development, training, human-capacity development and defence supply-chain integration.

According to him, Nigeria is particularly interested in partnerships that would strengthen its ability to progressively acquire the skills, technologies and industrial capabilities required to manufacture, maintain, upgrade and sustain defence equipment throughout its life cycle.

He emphasised that technology transfer and local capacity development must remain central considerations in Nigeria’s engagements with foreign defence manufacturers.

“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,” General Musa said.

At the same time, he acknowledged that sustainable industrial partnerships must be built on mutual respect, transparency, trust and clearly defined commercial and strategic interests.

He said Nigeria also recognised the importance of protecting intellectual property, maintaining appropriate regulatory safeguards, ensuring responsible technology transfer and creating a predictable and enabling environment for investment.

“These considerations require sustained engagement among our Governments, defence institutions, regulatory authorities and industries. I am confident that through constructive dialogue, we can address legitimate concerns while ensuring that our cooperation produces tangible and mutually beneficial outcomes,” he said.

General Musa further noted that the presence of leading Nigerian and Turkish companies at the Forum presented a unique opportunity to move from dialogue to delivery.

He encouraged participants to approach the Business-to-Business engagements with an open, practical and forward-looking mindset, urging them to identify capability gaps, match those gaps with available technologies and expertise, and develop partnerships capable of creating value for both countries.

“Let us identify capability gaps, match them with available technologies and expertise, and develop partnerships that create value on both sides,” he said.

The Minister stressed that the success of the Forum should ultimately be measured not only by the quality of the discussions, but by the practical outcomes that emerge from them.

“The success of this Forum should ultimately be measured not only by the quality of our discussions, but by the partnerships established, investments committed, production arrangements concluded, technologies transferred, skills developed and industrial capabilities created,” he stated.

He expressed confidence that the deliberations at the Forum would complement the work of the Nigeria–Türkiye Defence Industries Cooperation Committee and provide concrete opportunities for implementation.

He therefore urged participants to identify areas of shared interest, address existing barriers and develop actionable proposals that could be taken forward by relevant institutions and companies.

General Musa assured investors and industry stakeholders that the Federal Government remains committed to providing an enabling environment for credible and mutually beneficial investments capable of strengthening Nigeria’s defence industrial capacity, creating employment, developing Nigerian expertise, deepening local supply chains and contributing to national security and economic growth.

He said Nigeria and Türkiye share a relationship founded on mutual respect, friendship and a common commitment to strengthening peace and security, adding that defence-industrial cooperation now offers both countries an opportunity to give their bilateral relationship an even stronger economic and technological dimension.

“Let us seize this opportunity to build partnerships that are innovative, sustainable and mutually beneficial; partnerships that strengthen the strategic interests of Nigeria and Türkiye; and partnerships that contribute to the emergence of a stronger and more capable African defence industrial ecosystem,” he said.

The Minister expressed confidence that engagements at the Forum would generate tangible outcomes and open a new and more ambitious chapter in Nigeria–Türkiye defence industry cooperation.

General Musa had earlier explained that Nigeria attaches great importance to its defence relationship with Türkiye, noting that cooperation between both countries had evolved considerably over the years.

He said the relationship had progressed from traditional military-to-military engagements to broader collaboration covering defence equipment acquisition, training, technical assistance, defence industry cooperation and, increasingly, technology transfer and the development of indigenous industrial capabilities.

“The 7th Nigeria-Türkiye Defence Industry Business Forum provides an important platform to take this relationship to the next level,” he said.

He explained that the objective should be to translate the longstanding bilateral relationship into practical industrial partnerships, sustainable investments, technology-driven collaboration and enduring defence capabilities.

According to him, Nigeria must 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.

In his goodwill message at the Forum, the Director-General of the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON), Major General B. I. Alaya, said the engagement was taking place at a particularly significant period for Nigeria’s defence and industrial development.

He noted that recent security developments across the world had reinforced a fundamental lesson: a nation’s defence strength is no longer measured only by the equipment it acquires, but increasingly by its ability to produce, sustain, repair, adapt and innovate.

“Across the world, recent security developments have reinforced a fundamental lesson: 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,” Alaya said.

He said the Federal Government, under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, was repositioning DICON as a strategic instrument for Nigeria’s defence industrialisation.

According to him, with renewed government support and the framework provided by the DICON Act 2023, the Corporation is expanding its focus beyond traditional production towards building a more integrated ecosystem driven by innovation, research, private-sector participation, technology transfer, partnerships and indigenous manufacturing.

“For DICON, therefore, cooperation between Nigeria and Türkiye presents opportunities that go beyond the procurement of defence equipment,” he said.

Major General Alaya said the real value of the partnership lies in building productive relationships that combine Turkish experience and technology with Nigeria’s market, human capital and industrial potential.

He stressed that as the engagements progress, the collective responsibility of both countries should be to ensure that their outcomes do not end as well-written communiqués or expressions of goodwill.

Rather, he said, they must translate into actionable programmes, identifiable projects, technology partnerships, production lines, maintenance capabilities and skills development.

“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,” he said.

He added that DICON was ready to play its role as a platform for collaboration among government, the Armed Forces, industry, innovators and international partners.

“Let these Staff Talks, therefore, mark not just another meeting between two friendly nations, but another step towards building, producing and innovating together,” he concluded.

The outcome of the 7th Nigeria-Türkiye Defence Industry Business Forum is expected to further strengthen the strategic relationship between both countries while opening new opportunities for investment, technology transfer, indigenous manufacturing, research and development and skills acquisition.

For Nigeria, the broader objective remains the development of a defence industrial base capable of reducing dependence on external supply chains, strengthening national security and creating an industrial ecosystem in which Nigerian institutions, professionals and companies can increasingly design, produce, maintain and improve the technologies required to safeguard the country.

The engagement with Türkiye therefore represents not merely an opportunity to acquire modern defence equipment, but a strategic effort to build the knowledge, skills, infrastructure and industrial partnerships necessary for Nigeria to become increasingly self-reliant and competitive in defence production, while contributing to the emergence of a stronger African defence industrial ecosystem.