AFRIDEX 2026: Nigeria’s push to end defence import dependency

For decades, Africa’s security infrastructure has relied significantly on external suppliers for weapons, technology, replacement parts, and technical expertise.

Although this reliance has enabled nations to address shifting security challenges, it has simultaneously left the continent susceptible to supply-chain bottlenecks, steep acquisition expenses, and strategic risks.

Against this background, the Africa International Defence Exhibition (AFRIDEX) 2026, held from Oct. 26 to Oct. 29 at Eko Atlantic City, Lagos, provided a platform to rethink Africa’s approach to defence production, technological development and military-industrial cooperation.

The exhibition brought together government officials, military commanders, manufacturers, investors and technology developers to explore how African countries could develop the capacity to manufacture and sustain equipment required for their security.

For Nigeria, the conversation was particularly significant, given the Federal Government’s determination to reposition the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) as a driver of indigenous defence manufacturing.

Representing President Bola Tinubu at the opening ceremony, Senate President Godswill Akpabio called on African countries to replace standard buying practices with partnerships that foster lasting tech and industrial growth.

Tinubu stressed that successful defence partnerships must deliver more than equipment, highlighting technology transfer, skills development and investment in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, space technologies and autonomous systems.

The Minister of Defence, retired Gen. Christopher Musa, reinforced the position, calling for stronger international partnerships and investment to accelerate local production.

He expressed optimism that engagements at the exhibition would produce agreements enabling Nigeria to manufacture military hardware locally, while encouraging foreign companies to invest in the country.

The establishment of the DICON Institution of Technology was also identified as part of efforts to develop the technical manpower needed to sustain defence industrialisation.

At a panel moderated by retired Maj.-Gen. Olufemi Akinjobi, Strategic Adviser to the Minister of Defence, experts identified clear national defence strategies, technology absorption, and innovative financing as essential to achieving self-reliance.

The panel featured Amb. Emmanuel Fomba, Founder of GCATRED, and Maj.-Gen. Aniedi Edet, Director-General, Joint Doctrine and Warfare Centre.

Edet said Africa’s quest for defence self-reliance must return to the founding vision behind DICON’s establishment in 1964.

He argued that procurement decisions should be guided by national security requirements rather than the interests of foreign suppliers.

Edet also advocated joint production, practical learning and sustained collaboration to help local industries absorb and adapt foreign technologies.

Fomba emphasised responsible procurement and stronger links between African governments and credible international investors.

“Our solution is responsible procurement, that is buy based on national need, not supplier push.

“Our demand to partners is simple: teach us to fish. We have the raw materials, come and build the infrastructure in Africa,” he said.

The discussions underscored that acquiring modern equipment does not automatically translate into technological independence. Self-reliance requires the expertise, infrastructure, financing and institutional capacity to sustain acquired capabilities.

For indigenous manufacturers, the success of Nigeria’s industrialisation programme will depend largely on the government’s ability to create an enabling environment for local companies to innovate and compete.

The Chairman of EPAIL Nigeria, Kola Balogun, described AFRIDEX as a long-overdue platform for indigenous manufacturers to assess their capabilities, benchmark products and establish international partnerships.

“The exhibition enabled local companies to demonstrate their capabilities to military officials and foreign participants, while exploring opportunities beyond the domestic market.’’

Balogun disclosed that representatives from Mali, Congo and other African countries visited EPAIL’s manufacturing facility to assess its operations.

He, however, cautioned that foreign participation must strengthen indigenous manufacturing rather than create excessive dependence on external companies.

“We should use international engagements to strengthen our local industry.’’

On technology transfer, Balogun argued that Nigeria must negotiate mutually beneficial arrangements because foreign manufacturers would not readily surrender technologies developed through years of investment and research.

“Technology transfer is never easy. Nobody wants to give away something they have invested considerable time, resources and expertise to develop.”

He urged government to identify technological and skills gaps and introduce incentives to encourage foreign manufacturers to establish local production arrangements and transfer technical knowledge.

Balogun also called for purposeful funding of research and innovation, proposing defence industry incubation centres where engineers, researchers and manufacturers could develop practical solutions to national security challenges.

He advocated stronger regulation to ensure quality standards, accountability in government-funded research and proper control of sensitive defence equipment.

Assessing EPAIL’s progress, he acknowledged that the company still had considerable ground to cover but described its growth as exponential.

“We are not there yet, but we are growing exponentially. We are not growing arithmetically,” he said.

He added that exposure to digital and artificial intelligence-enabled technologies at AFRIDEX reinforced the need for local manufacturers to integrate more advanced systems into their products.

At the centre of Nigeria’s renewed industrial ambition is DICON, established in 1964 to manufacture military hardware for the Armed Forces and other security agencies.

Its repositioning under the DICON Act 2023 provides an opportunity to expand production through partnerships with private investors, original equipment manufacturers and research institutions.

A notable development is the DICON-D7G partnership, whose Chief Executive Officer, Mr Osman Chennar, outlined plans to expand production, attract investment and create employment.

The initiative targets about seven thousand jobs for retired military personnel and civilians, alongside plans for a 40,000-square-metre international exhibition centre.

The exhibition also showcased indigenous innovation through Nigerian company Arridex, which unveiled its ADX-Barra 200 autonomous surface vessel.

The platform, alongside the ADX-Shaho 200 and ADX-Rapta unmanned aerial systems, was designed, built and integrated by Nigerian engineers.

The autonomous surface vessel has potential applications in maritime security, particularly in protecting Nigeria’s coastal interests and the Gulf of Guinea.

Arridex delivers its platforms through Helagon, its joint venture with DICON, demonstrating how public-private partnerships can support indigenous military technology development.

AFRIDEX also attracted interest from Indian and Turkish defence companies in partnerships involving technology transfer, local production and capacity development.

India’s ZEN Technologies Ltd., represented by its Vice President, retired AVM Arvind Verma, highlighted training simulation and counter-drone systems as areas of potential cooperation.

Verma said the company had supplied the Nigerian Army with weapons training systems, armoured vehicle driving simulators and machine-gun simulators since 2007.

He explained that simulation technologies provided realistic training while reducing the costs associated with conventional live-fire exercises.

He also highlighted integrated counter-unmanned aerial systems capable of detecting and disrupting hostile drones, including coordinated swarm attacks.

Similarly, Mr Gokhan Ucar, Deputy Secretary for Aviation Systems at Türkiye’s Secretariat of Defence Industries, advocated joint production, investment and technology transfer.

He said Türkiye was interested in developing shared industrial capabilities rather than maintaining a conventional buyer-seller relationship.

From the indigenous industry’s perspective, the Managing Director of Proforce Nigeria, Ade Ogundeyin, called for stronger collaboration between local manufacturers and foreign original equipment manufacturers.

He identified simulation, software integration, maintenance, repair and overhaul, and autonomous systems as areas where Nigerian companies could develop immediate capabilities.

Beyond industrial development, AFRIDEX provided an opportunity to deepen defence diplomacy and explore strategic partnerships.

The Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Olufemi Oluyede, reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to partnering with global military leaders and defence industry stakeholders, including the United States Africa Command, to strengthen Nigeria’s defence capabilities.

Oluyede gave the assurance when he received the Ambassador of Poland to Nigeria, Mr Michał Cygan, who led a delegation of defence industry executives and senior military officials.

The delegation included the Commander of US AFRICOM, Gen. Dagvin Anderson; Italy’s Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Luciano Portolano; and Guinea-Bissau’s Chief of General Staff, Lt.-Gen. Ibrahima Sory Bangoura.

Others were the Commander of the Umbutfo Eswatini Defence Force, Gen. Hulumende Fakudze, and Brig.-Gen. Mohammed Sultan Yousef Al Nuaimi of the United Arab Emirates.

The engagements focused on professional military education, capacity building, technology transfer and operational cooperation.

For Nigeria’s Armed Forces, the value of indigenous manufacturing lies not merely in acquiring equipment but in ensuring that it remains available, affordable, adaptable and sustainable throughout its operational life.

This requires collaboration among the military, DICON, local manufacturers and international partners to address equipment requirements across land, maritime and air domains.

Emerging threats also demand investment in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, electronic warfare, robotics, command-and-control systems and counter-drone technologies.

AFRIDEX 2026’s true impact depends on what happens next.

Observers say Nigeria must turn talk into action by funding research, backing local makers, and ensuring international deals transfer real technical skills–proving it can break free from defence import dependency.