Nigerian defence technology startup, Terra Industries, is constructing a drone manufacturing facility in Accra, Ghana, as it continues its expansion.
The plant, designated Pax-2, will cover 34,000 square feet and serve as the company’s primary production base for drone and counter-drone systems in the region. The company has a mega-factory of a 15,000-square-foot Pax-1 plant located in Abuja.
The Ghana facility is expected to be operational by the end of June 2026 and will create 120 engineering jobs, running on a continuous production schedule. At full capacity, it is projected to manufacture 50,000 units annually across the company’s aerial systems portfolio.
The company said the expansion is part of a broader plan to scale manufacturing capacity across the continent. The need for security architectures has risen in recent years, as groups such as Islamic State and al-Qaeda are gaining ground in Africa, converging along a swathe of territory that stretches from Mali to Nigeria.
The startup produces long- and mid-range drones, autonomous sentry towers and unmanned ground vehicles to help secure infrastructure assets.
It will be looking at building a range of systems, including the Archer VTOL, a long-range surveillance and strike platform; the Iroko UAV, built for tactical deployment; and Kama, a counter-drone interceptor capable of speeds up to 300 kilometres per hour. The Kama system is designed for high-volume production to meet demand for kinetic drone interception.
Speaking on the latest development, Mr Nathan Nwachuku, co-founder and CEO of Terra Industries, said the only way Africa can have lasting peace is by uniting to build sovereign defence, not by relying on foreign security architecture, which instructed the choice of Ghana for the next phase of its expansion.
“We chose Ghana for Pax-2 because of its talent, strategic position, and political will to become a serious defence exporter,” he said.
In February, Terra extended its funding round to $34 million after securing an additional $22 million from investors, after an initial $11.75 million in January. Among its investors are 8VC, founded by the co-founder of Palantir Technologies Inc., Mr Joe Lonsdale, Lux Capital, with injections from the chief executive officer of Lagos-based unicorn Flutterwave, Mr Gbenga Agboola, as well as angel investors such as American actor Jared Leto and Jordan Nel, among others.
In the same month, the firm and the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the establishment of a joint venture company (JVC) to boost the country’s defence industrial capacity and advance indigenous high-technology development.
