AFRIDEX: Nigeria seeks investments for local production of defense equipment

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has said Nigeria is open to defense partnerships based on mutual trust and respect.

A statement by the ministry’s Chief Information Officer, Queenet Iheoma-Hart, noted that Tinubu stated this in his remarks at the inaugural edition of the Africa International Defense Exhibition (AFRIDEX) in Lagos.

Recognizing that security threats are becoming increasingly complex and interconnected, the President called on African defense partners and global innovators in artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies to work with Nigeria to ensure peace and stability on the continent.

Represented by the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, Tinubu noted that those tasked with ensuring peace must do everything in their power to maintain peace.

He stressed that while peace has no alternative, Africa cannot afford to ignore new trends in military equipment, personnel training and cooperation based on shared values.

The President also noted that with peace and stability opportunities are created, public institutions gain trust and the future can be faced with confidence. He stressed the need for a cohesive approach to make partnerships value-driven, adding that Nigeria is blessed with talented youth who need opportunities to thrive.

He urged participants to leverage the exhibition to share knowledge, hold bilateral meetings, sign memorandums of understanding (MoUs) and explore investment opportunities in Nigeria.

“Let the partnerships formed here strengthen our preparedness. Let the knowledge exchanged here inspire our innovators. And let the commitments made here produce tangible results for our people to see and experience,” he said.

Earlier, the Minister of Defence, General Christopher Gwabin Musa (Rtd), urged attendees to take advantage of the exhibition to invest in Nigeria’s defense sector, revealing that Nigeria will begin massive local production of defense hardware by next year for both domestic use and export, particularly to other African nations.

He added that the collateral engagements scheduled during the exhibition will strengthen bilateral and multilateral relations between defense institutions, government representatives, industry stakeholders and other strategic partners.

In his remarks, the Minister of Defense, Dr. Bello Muhammad Matawalle, MON, described AFRIDEX as a dynamic platform capable of achieving the objectives for which it was conceived.