Africa’s defence conversation has long centred on procurement. Terra Industries is trying to change that by shifting the focus to production.
The Nigerian defence technology startup has announced plans to build Africa’s largest drone manufacturing facility in Ghana, a move that places local industrial capacity at the centre of a rapidly evolving security landscape. The Terra Industries drone factory, a 34,000-square-foot plant in Accra, will serve as the company’s primary regional hub for producing both drone and counter-drone systems.
Construction of the facility, known as Pax-2, is nearing completion, with full operations expected by June 2026. Once operational, Terra plans to scale production to 50,000 units annually by 2028, while creating around 120 engineering jobs in Ghana.
The scale alone signals intent. Pax-2 more than doubles the footprint of Terra’s existing Pax-1 facility in Abuja, which spans 15,000 square feet. But the significance of the expansion lies less in its size than in its timing.
Across the Sahel and parts of sub-Saharan Africa, armed groups have increasingly adopted low-cost drone technologies, often modifying commercial systems for surveillance and attack. Similar tactics have reshaped conflicts in the Middle East and Eastern Europe, pushing demand for counter-drone capabilities higher. Terra is positioning itself directly within that shift.
The Terra Industries drone factory will produce key systems across the company’s portfolio, including the Archer VTOL, designed for long-range surveillance and strike missions, and the Iroko UAV, built for rapid tactical deployment. It will also manufacture Kama, a high-speed interceptor drone capable of reaching 300 kilometres per hour, developed specifically for counter-drone defence and scaled production.
The company is not building in isolation. Terra raised $34 million in recent months to support expansion, including an $11.75 million round led by 8VC and a subsequent $22 million investment led by Lux Capital. The funding targets manufacturing scale and engineering capacity across multiple African markets.
Chief Executive Officer Nathan Nwachuku frames the expansion as part of a broader shift in how Africa approaches security.
“The only way Africa can have lasting peace is by building sovereign defence,” he said, arguing that reliance on external security systems leaves the continent exposed in a rapidly changing threat environment.
Ghana’s role in the project reflects both strategy and positioning. Terra selected the country for its technical talent base, political stability, and growing ambition to participate in defence exports, factors that align with the company’s goal of building a regional manufacturing network.
The move follows a joint venture agreement with Nigeria’s Defence Industries Corporation (DICON), which focuses on local manufacturing, technology transfer, and supply chain integration. Together, these steps form part of Terra’s broader vision of “Pax Africana,” a model where African countries design, build, and deploy their own defence technologies.
Manufacturing advanced defence systems requires more than capital and facilities. It depends on supply chains, regulatory alignment, skilled labour, and sustained demand across multiple jurisdictions. These are areas where Africa’s defence ecosystem remains uneven.
Still, the Terra Industries drone factory introduces a different trajectory. It moves the conversation from acquisition to capability, where the question is no longer what Africa can buy, but what it can build.
If Terra delivers at scale, the impact will extend beyond one company or one facility. It will test whether a continent that has largely imported its defence systems can begin to produce them on its own terms.
