Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa, has canvassed a balanced and mutually beneficial partnership between Nigeria and Turkiye founded on joint production of defence equipment and sustainable industrial development.
Gen. Musa spoke at the 7th Nigeria–Türkiye Defence Industry Business Forum held in Abuja yesterday.
He said the forum provided an important platform to take this relationship to the next level of practical industrial partnerships, sustainable investments, technology-driven collaboration and enduring defence capabilities.
“We must therefore progressively move beyond a predominantly buyer–seller relationship towards a more balanced and mutually beneficial partnership founded on joint production, local manufacturing, technology transfer, research and development, maintenance, repair and overhaul, skills development and sustainable industrial cooperation,” he said.
The minister stated that the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) Act 2023 provides an important institutional and legal framework for advancing ambition of building self-reliant defence industry while creating greater opportunities for private-sector participation, strategic investment, technology transfer and partnerships with reputable international defence manufacturers.
“We seek to develop an industrial ecosystem capable of positioning Nigeria as a competitive defence manufacturing hub in Africa—one that creates quality employment, develops highly skilled Nigerian professionals, strengthens domestic supply chains, promotes innovation and contributes to national security as well as broader economic development,” he added. He reiterated that contemporary conflicts are demonstrating the growing importance of unmanned systems, artificial intelligence, advanced communications, cyber capabilities, precision systems, surveillance technologies, space-based assets and other emerging technologies.
“Nigeria must therefore build the capacity not only to acquire such capabilities, but also to understand, adapt, manufacture, maintain and continuously improve them,”.
He explained that Türkiye’s remarkable transformation into a major and increasingly self-reliant defence industrial power provides valuable lessons for countries seeking to develop indigenous defence capabilities.
According to him, Türkiye has demonstrated what can be achieved through sustained government commitment, deliberate investment in indigenous research and development, innovation, strong private-sector participation, effective institutional coordination and close collaboration between government, the Armed Forces, research institutions and industry.
“Nigeria therefore views the Turkish defence industry not merely as a source of equipment, but as a strategic partner in our defence industrialisation journey. We are interested in learning from Türkiye’s experience and adapting relevant aspects of that experience to Nigeria’s own circumstances, requirements and strategic interests,”.
He continued, “We believe that a stronger Nigeria–Türkiye defence industrial partnership can create opportunities not only for our two countries, but also for the wider African market. Nigeria’s strategic location, growing economy, substantial human capital and large domestic market provide a strong foundation for developing partnerships capable of serving both national and regional requirements,”.
General Musa called on Nigerian and Turkish companies to identify specific, commercially viable and technologically meaningful areas of cooperation.
“We should be looking beyond general expressions of interest towards partnerships with clearly defined objectives, timelines, investment commitments, production arrangements and measurable outcomes,”.
He assured Turkish firms that Nigeria is open to strategic defence-industrial partnerships and responsible investment.
” We welcome credible partnerships in areas including joint ventures, co-production, technology licensing and transfer, local manufacturing and assembly, component production, maintenance, repair and overhaul, research and development, training, human-capacity development and defence supply-chain integration.
“We are particularly interested in partnerships that strengthen Nigeria’s ability to progressively acquire the skills, technologies and industrial capabilities required to manufacture, maintain, upgrade and sustain defence equipment throughout its life cycle. “Technology transfer and local capacity development must therefore remain central considerations in our engagements. The ultimate measure of success should not simply be the delivery of a platform or system, but the extent to which Nigerian personnel, institutions and industries acquire the knowledge and capabilities to sustain and further develop that capability,”.
He reiterated that sustainable industrial partnerships must be based on mutual respect, transparency, trust and clearly defined commercial and strategic interests.
He assured that Nigeria recognises the legitimate importance of protecting intellectual property, maintaining appropriate regulatory safeguards, ensuring responsible technology transfer and creating a predictable and enabling environment for investment.
“These considerations require sustained engagement among our Governments, defence institutions, regulatory authorities and industries. I am confident that through constructive dialogue, we can address legitimate concerns while ensuring that our cooperation produces tangible and mutually beneficial outcomes,”.
He reaffirmed the Nigerian governments commitment to providing an enabling environment for credible and mutually beneficial investments that strengthen our defence industrial capacity, create employment, develop Nigerian expertise, deepen local supply chains and contribute to national security and economic growth.
