Nigeria will begin large-scale local production of defence {hardware} within the following year to meet home army necessities and export gear to different African nations, the Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, has stated.
Mr Musa disclosed this in a press release on Tuesday following the maiden Africa International Defence Exhibition (AFRIDEX), which introduced collectively African governments, army establishments, defence producers and expertise innovators.
He stated the deliberate production would assist Nigeria’s efforts to scale back dependence on imported army gear and strengthen its home defence manufacturing capability.
“Within the next year, Nigeria will commence large-scale local production of defence hardware to meet domestic requirements and support exports to other African countries,” Mr Musa stated.
“This is an important step towards building a self-reliant defence industry, strengthening our national security and positioning Nigeria as a contributor to Africa’s defence manufacturing capacity.”
The minister stated the federal government was pursuing local production of army gear, weapons, ammunition and different important defence programs via funding, expertise switch, analysis and collaboration with worldwide producers.
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He stated the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) was central to efforts to increase home manufacturing capability and produce gear required by the Nigerian Armed Forces.
PREMIUM TIMES experiences that Nigeria at the moment imports most of its army {hardware} from nations such because the US, France, Italy and China.
Mr Musa stated AFRIDEX would additionally present alternatives for Nigeria to deepen bilateral and multilateral safety relations, trade experience and set up partnerships aimed toward addressing safety challenges throughout the continent.
The exhibition coated land, air, maritime, house and cyber safety, with a concentrate on connecting Africa’s safety necessities with the expertise, experience, funding and industrial capability wanted to tackle them.
The minister thanked President Bola Tinubu for supporting indigenous defence production and initiatives aimed toward strengthening nationwide safety.
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