Nigeria has taken another step towards developing its own drone technology with the inauguration of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) training centre in Kaduna, as the Federal Government seeks to reduce dependence on foreign suppliers for critical security and industrial equipment.
The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) inaugurated the NASCAV UAV Training Centre at the Air Force Institute of Technology in Kaduna on Monday, October 19, 2026, with officials highlighting the need to train Nigerians who can operate, maintain and improve drone systems locally.
The initiative is intended to strengthen indigenous technical capacity, create employment opportunities and support the use of drones in security, agriculture, healthcare and infrastructure monitoring.
According to The Punch report published on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, the Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa, represented at the event by Air Vice Marshal Adeniran Ademuwagun, Commandant of the Air Force Institute of Technology, warned that excessive reliance on foreign technology could expose Nigeria to security vulnerabilities.
Musa said technological self-reliance involved more than purchasing equipment, stressing that Nigeria needed the knowledge and skills to operate, maintain and sustain the systems it acquired.
He identified surveillance, reconnaissance, intelligence gathering and infrastructure protection as areas where unmanned aerial vehicles could strengthen the country’s security operations.
NASENI’s Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Khalil Halilu, said the centre would develop practical expertise in drone operations, equipment development, assembly and maintenance.
He argued that acquiring sophisticated equipment would not automatically industrialise the country without people capable of understanding, improving and maintaining it.
The centre is expected to equip young Nigerians with technical skills that could improve their employment prospects and help them establish businesses around emerging aviation and technology markets.
The initiative also places women at the centre of efforts to expand Nigeria’s technical workforce. Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani said women account for at least 60% of participants in the drone training programme, describing their participation as a deliberate effort to widen opportunities in aviation and technology.
The training facility builds on an existing partnership between NASENI and Caverton Helicopters through NasCav Technology Limited, which was established to develop indigenous aviation capabilities.
Radio Nigeria Kaduna reported on October 19, 2026, that the facility had already trained two cohorts of drone pilots through the partnership.
The centre’s inauguration coincided with other skills-development initiatives in Kaduna, including the groundbreaking of a NASENI Skill Development Centre in Rigachikun.
Sani disclosed that 4,050 people graduated in August from campuses of the Kaduna State Institute of Vocational Training and Skills Development in Rigachikun, Soba and Samaru Kataf. Their training covered 14 trades, including electrical installation, solar installation, mechatronics, computer hardware repairs, catering and fashion design.
The figures underline the scale of the state’s vocational training efforts, although the new drone centre will focus on specialised aviation and unmanned systems skills.
Nigeria’s wider ambition extends beyond training drone pilots to developing the capacity to assemble and service the technology locally.
NASENI and Caverton signed an agreement in January 2024 to pursue a drone assembly plant, a drone training school and a helicopter service centre. The partnership was designed to promote technology transfer, job creation and the development of Nigeria’s aviation industry.
The Kaduna facility therefore represents one part of a broader effort to build local expertise and support domestic drone-related activities.
However, the long-term economic and security benefits will depend on whether training translates into sustained employment, local assembly and manufacturing, reliable maintenance services and wider adoption by Nigerian businesses and public institutions.
For Nigeria, the challenge is not only to acquire drones but also to develop the skilled workforce and industrial capacity required to keep the technology operating and adapt it to local needs.
