Indian and Turkish defence companies have offered Nigeria solutions to reduce military training costs, counter drone threats and strengthen local defence production.
The proposals were presented at the ongoing Africa International Defence Exhibition, AFRIDEX, 2026 in Lagos, where the companies highlighted technology transfer, local manufacturing and long-term defence partnerships.
Retired AVM Arvind Verma, Vice President of India’s ZEN Technologies Ltd., said the company’s training and anti-drone systems could help Nigeria and other African countries save hundreds of millions of dollars while improving combat readiness.
Verma said on Wednesday that the 34-year-old company specialised in training systems for land, naval and air forces.
He said ZEN first deployed its systems in Nigeria in 2007 and had supplied the Nigerian Army with weapons training systems, armoured vehicle driving simulators and machine-gun simulators.
Verma said the systems provided realistic training environments at reduced costs while helping the military address security challenges, including terrorism, border insecurity, attacks on oil installations and drone warfare.
He said the Indian Army invested about $50 million in ZEN’s training systems and saved more than $500 million within three to four years.
The company, he added, had developed containerised shooting ranges for urban areas with limited space and tactical simulators for force-on-force exercises using lasers and blank ammunition.
On counter-drone warfare, Verma said ZEN’s integrated system, tested during India’s conflict with its adversaries in 2025, could disrupt incoming drones through electronic countermeasures and counter swarm attacks.
He said the system could address threats from multiple directions and integrate machine guns, missiles, air defence weapons and laser weapons to provide layered protection.
Speaking during a panel discussion, Gokhan Ucar, Deputy Secretary for Aviation Systems at Türkiye’s Secretariat of Defence Industries, said Nigeria could access equipment that met the same standards used by the Turkish Armed Forces.
Ucar also advocated joint production and technology transfer, saying Türkiye sought a long-term partnership with Nigeria based on shared capabilities rather than a transactional buyer-seller relationship.
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“We have no restrictions. We don’t provide old-fashioned equipment. We are providing to Nigeria the same equipment we utilise in Türkiye. The same standard,” he said.
He said the partnership would involve joint manufacturing, investment and support for Nigerian small and medium-sized enterprises through collaboration among government institutions, defence companies and local industrial clusters.
Similarly, Sevket Unal, Vice President of Turkish firm HAVELSAN, said the country’s defence industry model focused on co-production, sustainability and building local capacity.
“Our model is very simple: Build together, produce together, and sustain together. We are not here to stay forever; we are here to ensure capability stays in Nigeria,” Unal said.
He described HAVELSAN as a software-intensive solutions provider for air, land and naval forces, specialising in simulation systems, autonomous systems and integrated defence solutions.
From the local industry perspective, Ade Ogundeyin, Managing Director of Proforce Nigeria, called for collaboration rather than competition between foreign original equipment manufacturers and Nigerian defence companies.
Ogundeyin urged foreign partners to move beyond equipment supply and pursue technology domestication within 24 months.
He identified simulation systems, software integration, maintenance, repair and overhaul, and autonomous systems as areas offering immediate opportunities for local development.
The panel was moderated by retired Maj.-Gen. Anthony Atolagbe, who said the engagement was intended to make bilateral defence discussions more transparent.
He added that concrete steps towards local production and procurement were expected to commence soon.
AFRIDEX 2026 brings together defence industry stakeholders and military representatives. The exhibition is expected to end on Thursday.
NAN
