Reps seek national drone policy to boost local defence production, tackle insecurity

By Gift Chapi Odekina, Abuja

The House of Representatives on Wednesday called for the establishment of a National Drone Industrialisation Policy to strengthen Nigeria’s defence manufacturing capacity and enhance the country’s response to security challenges.

The lawmakers also urged the Federal Government to provide structured financial support to indigenous drone manufacturers, including Beirech UAS, Terra Industries, Elites Group, Pro-force and the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT), through the Bank of Industry, Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) and other financing platforms.

The support, they said, would enable local manufacturers to scale production and meet military procurement standards.

The resolution followed the adoption of a motion sponsored by Hon. Ademorin Kuye on the need for a strategic policy framework to develop Nigeria’s drone industry.

Leading the debate, Kuye expressed concern over the worsening security situation in the country, citing terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, insurgency and pipeline vandalism as challenges that had continued to strain the capacity of the Armed Forces and other security agencies.

He noted that unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), commonly known as drones, had become critical tools in modern warfare, intelligence gathering, surveillance and counter-insurgency operations.

The lawmaker warned that terrorist groups, including Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), had deployed commercial drones in attacks against Nigerian troops.

However, he said Nigeria had recorded progress in indigenous drone technology, citing the development of the Tsaigumi UAV by the Air Force Institute of Technology in 2018 as evidence of the country’s growing capability.

Kuye said Nigeria had the human capital, technological potential and industrial base to become Africa’s leading drone technology hub if supported by deliberate government policies, investment and legislative reforms.

“The House is concerned that Nigeria, with a pool of engineering talent, a growing technology entrepreneurship ecosystem, existing military-industrial partnerships and the largest economy in Africa, possesses the foundational conditions to become the hub for drone technology, provided there is structured government policy, capital and legislative support,” he said.

He, however, lamented that the country’s drone manufacturing sector remained largely private-sector driven, with limited access to funding, inadequate government support and weak technology transfer arrangements.

Following the adoption of the motion, the House mandated its Committees on Defence; National Security and Intelligence; Science and Technology; and Industry and Commerce to develop a National Drone Industrialisation Policy aimed at transforming the sector into a structured and government-supported strategic industry.

The lawmakers also directed the Committees on Defence and National Security and Intelligence to collaborate with the military and relevant agencies to pursue technology transfer agreements with reputable international drone manufacturers.

Such agreements, they said, would facilitate the training of Nigerian engineers, promote local production and reduce dependence on imported components.

The House further mandated relevant committees to work with government agencies to establish dedicated Defence Industrial Zones for drone manufacturing, research and maintenance, supported by incentives, infrastructure and regulatory frameworks to attract investment.

It also directed the Committees on Defence, National Security and Intelligence, Industry and Commerce, Air Force, and Science and Technology to review existing laws on defence procurement, local content, aviation and investment incentives.

The review, according to the lawmakers, would pave the way for amendments that would encourage drone industrialisation through tax incentives and stronger protection of intellectual property developed by Nigerian engineers.

The committees were given four weeks to submit their reports for further legislative action.

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