Minister of state for Defence, Bello Matawalle with Mr Osman Chennae.

Minister of state for Defence, Bello Matawalle with Mr Osman Chennae.

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 on Sunday, 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.

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.