Matawalle: Nigeria has expertise to drive Africa’s defence trade

Minister Matawalle: Nigeria has expertise to drive Africa’s defence trade

Nigeria has the engineering experience and scientific expertise to develop indigenous defence applied sciences and scale back Africa’s reliance on international navy tools, the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, has mentioned.

Matawalle made the declaration on Monday on the opening of the Africa International Defence Exhibition 2026, held at Eko Atlantic, Lagos.

He mentioned Nigeria had the human assets wanted to develop home-grown defence options able to addressing the nation’s safety challenges and the continent’s evolving navy wants.

According to him, investing within the home defence trade would strengthen nationwide safety, promote technological self-reliance and create alternatives for industrial progress.

“By investing strategically in our domestic defence industry, we are strengthening national security, advancing technological self-reliance, creating opportunities for industrial growth and contributing meaningfully to collective efforts to build a safer, stronger and more secure Africa,” the minister mentioned.

Matawalle’s remarks have been contained in a press release issued on Monday by his media private assistant, Ahmad Dan-Wudil.

The minister described AFRIDEX 2026 as a historic milestone for Nigeria’s defence sector, noting that it was the primary exhibition of its form for the reason that institution of the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria in 1964.

He mentioned the exhibition would supply a platform for showcasing native defence manufacturing capabilities, attracting international funding, facilitating know-how switch and strengthening partnerships between authorities and private-sector gamers.

“Today marks a significant milestone in the history of Nigeria and, in particular, the Ministry of Defence, as we host the first Africa International Defence Exhibition, spearheaded by the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria,” he mentioned.

Matawalle added that the occasion represented greater than an exhibition, describing it as an illustration of Nigeria’s willpower to construct a technologically superior and self-reliant defence trade.

President Bola Tinubu, who was the particular visitor of honour, was represented on the ceremony by the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, who formally declared the exhibition open.

In his deal with, Tinubu urged African international locations to make sure that defence partnerships delivered lasting advantages by means of native industrial improvement, know-how switch and capability constructing.

He mentioned defence agreements ought to transcend the acquisition of navy tools to incorporate the event of native experience, indigenous manufacturing and technical information.

The President additionally challenged African engineers, scientists, producers and companies to take higher accountability for growing, producing and sustaining the continent’s defence capabilities.

He referred to as for stronger regional cooperation to guard the Gulf of Guinea, describing the maritime hall as vital to worldwide commerce, vitality safety and financial improvement.

The Director-General of DICON, Major General IB Alaya, mentioned AFRIDEX was designed to attach African defence stakeholders with worldwide specialists, strategic traders and world industrial companions.

“AFRIDEX is more than an exhibition; it is a strategic platform for translating ambition into action,” Alaya mentioned.

He defined that the exhibition was meant to showcase defence applied sciences, entice funding, strengthen industrial partnerships and promote information trade throughout land, air, maritime, house and cyber operations.

Alaya mentioned the success of the initiative can be measured by the investments attracted, partnerships established and sustainable industrial capabilities developed, moderately than the variety of exhibitors or guests.

The exhibition featured Nigerian and worldwide firms displaying armoured autos, tactical mobility tools, battlefield communications methods and drive safety applied sciences.

Other displays included naval and coastal surveillance methods, aviation platforms, unmanned aerial methods, satellite tv for pc remark applied sciences and space-enabled communications.

The applied sciences highlighted the rising function of native innovation and worldwide collaboration in growing defence methods able to responding to fashionable safety threats.

During business-to-business engagements, Matawalle met authorities officers, diplomatic representatives and defence trade stakeholders from Kenya, Türkiye and Qatar, amongst others.

Those concerned included Kenya’s High Commissioner to Nigeria, Isaac Keen Parashina; Gökhan Uçar of Türkiye’s Secretariat of Defence Industries; and representatives of Barzan Holding, Qatar.

The exhibition, hosted by DICON below the patronage of the Federal Government, is predicted to strengthen Nigeria’s ambition to turn into a serious centre for defence manufacturing, technological innovation and safety cooperation in Africa.

Senior officers on the opening included the Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa; Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede; Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu; Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas; and Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Aneke.

The Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Obafemi Hamzat, additionally attended the occasion, alongside diplomatic representatives, navy officers and defence trade stakeholders.