Nigeria is accelerating efforts to build a domestic defence manufacturing industry as the government seeks to reduce dependence on imported military equipment and retain more defence spending within the local economy.
The push is being driven in part by the DICON-D7G partnership between the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) and D7G Nigeria Ltd, an indigenous defence technology company. The venture says its mandate covers the production, assembly, maintenance and export of military hardware, including armoured vehicles, drones, weapons and ammunition.
The partnership’s product portfolio includes armoured and tactical platforms, with technical documents published by D7G detailing the EIFDS Buffalo U.10, a six-wheel-drive armoured vehicle developed by Egypt’s Eagles International for Defence Systems (EIFDS). The company has also displayed the Rhino Guard GXR-BR7, an armoured personnel carrier fitted with an anti-drone mesh designed to provide additional protection against small unmanned aerial threats.
The involvement of Egyptian defence technology reflects Nigeria’s broader strategy of using international partnerships to accelerate technology transfer while developing domestic assembly and manufacturing capabilities. EIFDS was among exhibitors at Egypt’s EDEX 2025 defence exhibition, where it showcased several armoured platforms.
For Nigeria, the economic argument extends beyond military readiness. Local production can reduce foreign-exchange expenditure on imported equipment, create skilled manufacturing jobs and develop capabilities in engineering, maintenance, logistics and component supply.
The logistics infrastructure is also expanding. DICON-D7G has announced plans for a dedicated military jetty near Lagos’s Tin Can Island Port. The facility is intended to support the movement of components and raw materials into Nigeria and provide a logistics gateway for locally manufactured defence products. DICON-D7G said the project is designed to improve supply-chain efficiency and support larger-scale production.
The venture has already moved beyond plans in some areas. DICON-D7G says it has begun producing DG-103 rifles in Kaduna and is developing additional capabilities in drones and counter-unmanned aerial systems.
The larger test will be whether Nigeria can move from assembly and limited production to a sustainable industrial ecosystem with significant local content. That would require reliable financing, engineering skills, quality control, component suppliers and consistent procurement from the armed forces.
If those conditions are met, Nigeria’s defence-industrial push could evolve from an import-substitution programme into a regional manufacturing platform, allowing the country to supply selected military equipment to other African markets while strengthening its own security capacity.
