PHOTO CREDIT: The Sun Nigeria / Ministry of Defence
Nigeria, Türkiye Agree on Joint Defence Production and Technology Transfer
Nigeria and Türkiye have agreed to deepen defence-industrial cooperation to promote joint production, local manufacturing, technology transfer, research and development, and maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO).

The agreement was announced by the Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa (rtd), at the opening of the 7th Nigeria-Türkiye Defence Industry Business Forum held in Abuja.

Gen. Musa said the partnership has become necessary as Nigeria is committed to building a strong, self-reliant and globally competitive defence industrial base that can support national security and drive economic development.

He noted that the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) Act 2023 provides a critical framework for strengthening local production and encouraging private-sector participation.

According to him, Nigeria’s ambition goes beyond meeting immediate defence needs to creating an industrial ecosystem that can position the country as a competitive defence manufacturing hub in Africa, create quality jobs, develop skilled manpower, and promote innovation.

The minister said the global security environment is increasingly complex and technology-driven, with unmanned systems, artificial intelligence, cyber capabilities and advanced communications shaping modern warfare, adding that Nigeria must build capacity not just to acquire such technologies but to understand, adapt, manufacture and sustain them.

He described Türkiye’s transformation into a major self-reliant defence industrial power as a model for Nigeria, noting that it demonstrates the importance of sustained government commitment, R&D, innovation and strong private-sector involvement.

Musa described Türkiye as a strategic partner in Nigeria’s defence industrialisation journey, rather than just a supplier of equipment, and said the partnership could serve the wider African defence market given Nigeria’s strategic location, human capital and large domestic market.

He urged companies from both countries to move beyond expressions of interest to concrete partnerships with clear objectives and timelines, saying Nigeria is open to joint ventures, co-production, technology licensing, component production and defence supply-chain integration.

He stressed that success should not be measured by equipment deliveries alone, but by the knowledge, skills and industrial capabilities transferred to Nigeria.

Also speaking, the Minister of State for Defence, Dr. Bello Matawalle, said the forum offers an opportunity to move beyond dialogue to practical investment and long-term industrial cooperation, while the Director-General of DICON, Maj.-Gen. Ibrahim Alaya, called for actionable programmes, production lines and skills development to reduce Nigeria’s vulnerability to external supply chain disruptions.

On the Turkish side, Vice President of the SSB Türkiye and Head of the Turkish Defence Delegation, Mr. Gokman Ucar, said the forum could mark a new chapter in bilateral relations, with focus on industrialisation, localisation, and regulatory and investment frameworks.

The forum was held under the 7th Nigeria-Türkiye Defence Industries Cooperation Meeting and brought together government officials, defence institutions, investors and technology partners from both countries.
SOURCE: The Sun Nigeria –