Linus Aleke in Abuja
The Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (Rtd.), said that Nigeria is firmly committed to building a strong, self-reliant and globally competitive defence industrial base.
The Minister also said the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) Act 2023 provides an important institutional and legal framework for advancing this ambition, while creating greater opportunities for private-sector participation, strategic investment, technology transfer and partnerships with reputable international defence manufacturers.
Speaking at the 7th Nigeria–Türkiye Defence Industry Business Forum, held at Transcorp Hilton Abuja on Wednesday, the Minister stated: “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 keynote speaker said the 7th Nigeria–Türkiye Defence Industry Business Forum provides an important platform to take this relationship to the next level.
“Our objective,” he said, “should be to translate the longstanding bilateral cooperation into practical industrial partnerships, sustainable investments, technology-driven collaboration and enduring defence capabilities.
“We 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.
“Nigeria must therefore build the capacity not only to acquire such capabilities, but also to understand, adapt, manufacture, maintain and continuously improve them. This requires strong partnerships between government, the Armed Forces, research institutions, academia and industry, supported by sustained investment in innovation and human capital,” General Musa said.
Observing that the global security environment is becoming increasingly complex and technologically driven, General Musa said contemporary conflicts are demonstrating the growing importance of unmanned systems, artificial intelligence, advanced communications, cyber capabilities, precision systems, surveillance technologies, space-based assets and other emerging technologies.
The Head of the Turkish Defence Delegation, Mr Gokman Ucar, said the forum could open a new chapter in the Nigeria–Türkiye defence partnership by bringing companies from the two countries together.
He added that discussions would also focus on joint production and technology transfer.
He said: “We will look at the big picture by reviewing our strategic defence partnership through the lens of defence industrialisation.
“We will continue by focusing on joint production, technology transfer and localisation and be informed about the regulatory and investment framework in Nigeria for establishing strategic partnerships.”
On his part, the Minister of State for Defence, Dr Bello Matawalle, said the DICON Act 2023 had created a framework for strengthening local production, private-sector participation and strategic partnerships.
He stressed that the forum provided an opportunity for both countries to move beyond dialogue and explore practical opportunities for investment, local production and long-term industrial cooperation.
The Minister of State tasked critical stakeholders with exploring practical models for joint production, technology licensing, co-development and localisation.
Earlier, in a goodwill message, the Director-General of the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON), Major General Babatunde Ibrahim Alaya, said DICON was 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.
He added that the cooperation between Nigeria and Türkiye presented opportunities that went beyond the procurement of defence equipment.
“The real value,” he said, “lies in building productive partnerships that combine Turkish experience and technology with Nigeria’s market, human capital and industrial potential.
“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 concluded.