Nigeria-based defence technology startup Terra Industries has begun construction of its second manufacturing facility, in Ghana, which will be the largest drone manufacturing facility on the African continent.
Kown as Pax-2, it follows the almost 1 400 square metre Pax-1 facility in the Nigerian capital Abuja (the Pax factories are named after its Pax Africana vision). While not at full production capacity, the Abuja facility can build up to 30 000 drones a year.
In a statement, the company said – once fully operational by 2028 – the Ghana facility is expected to reach an annual capacity of 50 000 units across Terra’s aerial systems portfolio. The Accra facility will increase Terra Industries’ autonomous security systems manufacturing area by more than 3 150 square metres bringing its total under roof capacity to 4 500 plus square metres.
The Ghana facility will create 120 engineering jobs and operate on a continuous production schedule to meet demand for Terra Industries’ systems across the region. They include the Archer VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle), a long-range surveillance and strike platform; the Iroko UAV, designed for rapid tactical deployment; and Terra’s newest addition, Kama, a high speed interceptor drone for counter-drone defence. Capable of speeds of up to 300 km/h, Kama is engineered for high volume production to address a growing need for kinetic interception capabilities, the company said.
Photo: Terra Industries
While some sensors and cameras are imported from nations including South Korea, the software, the airframes, the propellers, and the lithium-ion battery packs of the UAVs are manufactured in-house. Local manufacture makes initial hardware purchases up to 55% cheaper than international competitors, Terra Industries claims.
Construction on the Pax-2 facility is in the final phases with June this year set for manufacturing to start. Terra Industries is already manufacturing Archers, Iroko, and 20 Kama interceptor prototypes every day at its Abuja factory, but with Pax-2 the company will focus on ramping up mass-production of the latter two.
The move into Ghana advances Terra’s mission to build Africa’s sovereign defence industrial base, the company said. It comes as there is a shift in modern conflict across the Sahel and sub-Saharan Africa, where non-state actors increasingly deploy modified commercial and fibre-optic drones as attack systems. These tactics, seen in recent conflicts in the Middle East and Eastern Europe, are accelerating demand for integrated defence systems combining surveillance, electronic warfare and kinetic response.
Founded in 2024 by Nathan Nwachuku and Maxwell Maduka, Terra Industries – formerly known as Terrahaptix – designs and manufactures autonomous defence systems that help governments and infrastructure operators monitor, secure, and respond to threats across land, air, and maritime environments. Its technology is already deployed to protect power plants, mines, and other nationally critical assets across multiple African countries, it said, securing infrastructure assets valued at approximately $11 billion, with tens of millions in contracts and a robust public- and private-sector pipeline across the continent.
Current customers include the Geometric Power Plant in Aba, two hydropower plants in northern Nigeria, and gold and lithium mining operations in Nigeria and Ghana. Last year the company beat an Israeli firm to secure a $1.2 million contract to protect hydropower dams. Terra Industries says it is now moving more into counterterrorism and border security.
Nwachuku is on record saying: “The only way Africa can have lasting peace is by uniting to build sovereign defence, not by relying on foreign security architecture. We need to control our own destiny by building the tools and systems needed to protect ourselves. That’s how this continent defeats terrorism”.
“Africa is industrializing faster than any other region, with new mines, refineries, and power plants emerging every month. But none of that progress will matter if we don’t solve the continent’s greatest Achilles’ heel, which is insecurity and terrorism,” Nwachuku said.
Referring to the Ghana facility, he said, “This is the beginning of that vision playing out more concretely and we chose Ghana for Pax-2 because of its talent, strategic position and political will to become a serious defence exporter and prove this can be done at scale.”
Photo: Terra Industries
In addition to UAVs, Terra Industries produces unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) and sentry towers. Its Duma UGV can be configured for ground surveillance and cargo operations. It has a control range of 10 km, endurance of 24 hours, and maximum speed of up to 45 km/h. The tracked vehicle weights 350 kg and can carry a 600 kg payload.
The Kallon solar-powered sentry tower with AI-enabled edge processing and optical sensors can detect and track threats up to 3 km away (observation range is 5 km). These systems are powered by ArtemisOS, its unified software platform for large scale security operations.
Photo: Terra Industries
DICON joint venture
Terra Industries is working closely with Nigeria’s defence industrial base, and in February signed a landmark agreement with the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) for the establishment of a Joint Venture Company (JVC).
The partnership provides a framework for the local production, assembly, research and development (R&D), and training in high-technology systems, including drones, cybersecurity solutions, robotics, and other ancillary software and hardware platforms.
Under the agreement, the Joint Venture Company will operate as a subsidiary of DICON, jointly promoted and owned by DICON and Terra Industries, and duly incorporated in Nigeria.
Under the agreement, Terra Industries will provide technical expertise, professional services, and training, and will help attract both local and foreign investment to strengthen the defence industrial ecosystem. The company will also facilitate the procurement of production equipment, coordinate local and international training programmes, and provide access to manufacturing know-how, tooling, spare parts, and established defence sector supply chains.
The initiative is expected to position Nigeria as a regional hub for drones, high-tech manufacturing, cybersecurity solutions, R&D, and specialised training, while creating skilled employment opportunities for young Nigerians and fostering innovation within the local defence ecosystem.
Venture capital success
Terra Industries has managed to raise substantial amounts of capital in what it says is strong investor confidence in its role in safeguarding critical infrastructure and helping address insecurity and terrorism across Africa.
In March, the company raised an additional $22 million in venture capital funding, led by Lux Capital, bringing total funding raised to $34 million. Previous investors included 8VC, Nova Global, Silent Ventures, Belief Capital, Tofino Capital and Resilience17 Capital, as well as angel investors such as Jordan Nel and Jared Leto.
The additional $22 million will fund expanded manufacturing capacity, accelerate deployments across Nigeria and allied African countries, and grow Terra’s engineering, software, and business development leadership teams across Africa, London, and San Francisco, the company said.
“We believe in a future where local defense technology prevails, because security is the prerequisite for all economic growth. That’s why Terra Industries is building the African defence prime that secures sovereignty and provides the necessary counterterrorism technology on the continent,” said Brandon Reeves, Partner at Lux Capital.
As Resilience Media noted, Terra Industries’ venture capital funding is coming at a time of a proliferation of defence technology startups, with the rise of companies like Anduril, Helsing, and dozens of others raising hundreds of millions of dollars in funding, often from venture capitalists new to the field, to build drones and other AI-powered technology to power the next generation of defence.
“Anduril is the biggest neo prime in the US, and Helsing is in Europe. It’s clear that Africa needs its own sovereign prime, too. I want to build the first truly sovereign system for the continent,” Nwachuku told Resilience Media.
He added that while many African countries purchase foreign equipment to build up their defence forces, “it hasn’t been working because their tech is not built for the continent” and its particular terrain and particular problems. Manufacturing in Africa for Africa also ensures data stays within the country where it is gathered.
@DefenceWeb
