Nigeria’s defence technology sector is attracting major international investment as Terra Industries, an Abuja-based startup developing autonomous security systems, raises its total seed funding to $52 million.
The company has secured an additional $18 million and is preparing to expand manufacturing in Ghana while opening its first international office in London. The move could make Terra one of Africa’s most significant homegrown defence-technology companies.
Terra Industries reaches $52 million in funding
Founded in 2024 by Nathan Nwachuku and Maxwell Maduka, Terra Industries develops autonomous systems for security, surveillance and critical infrastructure protection.
The company’s latest $18 million funding brings its total seed financing to $52 million. Existing investors including 8VC, Silent Ventures, Nova Global, Belief Capital and SV Angel participated, alongside new investors Norleo Space Investments and angel investor Grant Gordon.
Terra plans to use the new capital to expand manufacturing, strengthen its engineering and operations teams, accelerate deployments and grow its business across Africa and other markets in the Global South.
The size of the funding is notable because African defence technology startups have historically attracted far less venture capital than companies operating in areas such as fintech, e-commerce and consumer technology.
Ghana to host Terra’s biggest production facility
A major part of Terra’s expansion is happening in Ghana.
The company is preparing to open its Pax-2 manufacturing facility in Accra. The factory covers approximately 34,000 square feet, making it more than twice the size of Terra’s existing 15,000-square-foot factory in Abuja.
Terra says Pax-2 will become Africa’s largest drone factory once fully operational.
The facility is expected to begin operations in the fourth quarter of 2026 and has a long-term target of producing up to 50,000 aerial systems annually by 2028. That figure is a planned production capacity, not the factory’s current output.
The Ghana facility is also expected to create engineering jobs and serve as Terra’s main regional manufacturing base for its drone and counter-drone systems.
What Terra is building
Terra is not focused only on conventional camera drones.
The company develops autonomous technologies covering air, land and maritime operations. Its portfolio includes surveillance drones, interceptor drones, surveillance towers and unmanned ground vehicles.
Among its systems are the Archer VTOL, designed for long-range surveillance and strike missions, the Iroko UAV for tactical deployment and the Kama interceptor drone, which is designed to counter other drones.
The company also develops software designed to coordinate autonomous systems and support security operations.
Terra says its technology is already being used to protect power plants, mines and other critical infrastructure assets valued at approximately $11 billion across several African countries.
Why Ghana matters
The decision to expand manufacturing into Ghana is bigger than simply adding another factory.
Ghana gives Terra a strategic manufacturing base outside Nigeria while positioning the company closer to other West African markets. The country’s location, industrial infrastructure and access to regional markets could make it useful for expanding production across the continent.
The move also fits into a wider push for African countries to develop more local capacity in defence and security technology instead of depending entirely on foreign suppliers.
This is becoming increasingly important as governments across Africa deal with terrorism, border security challenges, protection of mines and energy infrastructure, and the growing use of drones in conflict zones.
From Abuja to Accra and now London
Terra’s expansion is happening on several fronts at the same time.
Nigeria remains home to its original factory and founding operations, while Ghana will become an important manufacturing centre. The company is also establishing its first international office in London.
Terra says the London office will give it access to international defence and infrastructure markets, as well as global talent and potential partnerships. At the same time, the company plans to keep manufacturing in Africa and expand into markets across the Gulf, South America and South Asia.
That strategy reflects a broader ambition: build defence technology in Africa while selling and deploying it beyond the continent.
A bigger opportunity for African technology
Terra’s funding is significant not just because of the $52 million figure, but because of what it represents for Africa’s technology industry.
For years, the continent’s biggest startup success stories have largely come from fintech, payments, telecommunications and e-commerce. Defence technology has received much less attention from investors.
Terra’s growth suggests that this could be changing.
African countries have specific security and infrastructure challenges that cannot always be solved effectively with technologies designed for completely different environments. Building systems locally can give African governments and infrastructure operators greater control over the technology they depend on.
For countries such as Liberia, where infrastructure protection, border monitoring, mining security and emergency response remain important priorities, the growth of African drone and autonomous-systems companies could eventually create new opportunities for local partnerships and technology adoption.
The bigger picture
Terra Industries is still a young company, having been founded only in 2024. Its planned production numbers and international expansion are therefore targets rather than guarantees.
But the combination of significant investor backing, expanding African manufacturing and international ambitions puts the company in an interesting position.
If Terra successfully scales its Ghana facility and reaches its planned production capacity, it could help demonstrate that sophisticated defence and autonomous technologies can be designed, manufactured and exported from Africa.
For the continent’s technology ecosystem, that may be the most important part of this story.
The key takeaway: Terra Industries is using a $52 million funding base to build something larger than a drone company. Its expansion from Nigeria into Ghana and international markets signals a growing ambition to build African-made technology for Africa and the wider Global South.