Nigerian robotics company TerraHaptix plans to reopen its defense division in the near future, according to its founder Nathan Nwachuku on the X platform (formerly Twitter). Nathan Nwachuku was responding to journalist David Hundeyin’s post that a London-based foreign NGO called Dialogue Earth tried to bribe him with 800,000 naira to write an article against the Dangote refinery, saying that there was a lot of foreign interference. More specifically, he said:
“There is a greater foreign interference in Nigerian politics & economy than most realize.
Perhaps one day we will tell our story and the real reason @Terrahaptix
shut down its defense division
Nigeria must industrialize at all costs“
In addition, on the same platform he stated that he would reopen the defence division in the near future.
Things to consider:
- TerraHaptix announced prior to the factory opening that it would be closing its defense division to focus on the commercial market.
- TerraHaptix opened its 15,000 sq ft robotics manufacturing facility in Abuja on June 15, 2024 with a production capacity of 5,000 units per year.
- TerraHaptix is a company that is primarily dedicated to the manufacture of unmanned aerial vehicles, although it also produces unmanned ground vehicles and more recently all-terrain surveillance towers.
- In an exclusive interview with Nairametrics, a Nigerian media outlet, he said that 70% of the components are sourced locally and that he has already secured numerous deals with both Nigerian and foreign companies for export. One of them is Axe Security, a company based in Ghana that works with oil and construction companies to protect their assets.
- Nigeria is currently the largest importer of military equipment in sub-Saharan Africa.
- In recent years, there has been an upward trend of larger drone manufacturers in Nigeria which may mean that Nigeria does not have to rely on foreign drones.
- TerraHaptix recently announced a contract valued at $500,000 (approximately NGN 800 million) to produce and supply 70 advanced Archer VTOL drones to GEMsolutions, a company based in Ghana.
