👨🏿‍🚀TechCabal Daily – Terra is playing defence

One week after raising $22 million to expand its manufacturing, Terra Industries, a Nigerian defence-tech startup, has signed an agreement with the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON), the Nigerian Armed Forces-run defence corporation.

What this partnership really is: Terra and DICON will create a joint venture company (JVC) that will be structured as a subsidiary under DICON and be co-owned by both entities for the local production of advanced security systems, including drones, robotics, cybersecurity infrastructure, and the software that makes it all work. 

The JVC will handle the assembly, research and development (R&D) of high-technology systems, including drones, robotics systems, cybersecurity infrastructure, and support the supply of security equipment to Nigerian security agencies. 

Lots of expectations from Terra: Under the arrangement, Terra will provide technical expertise, production support, training programmes, spare parts, and give access to its existing defence supply chains.

Is Terra back in defence? In May 2024, ahead of its factory launch, the startup (then TerraHaptix) said it was stepping away from its defence business. It said it would no longer develop or research military systems and would shift its focus to serving the global commercial market. This latest move marks a slight turnaround from that decision.

What changed? Capital did. Counting its $11.75 million raise in January, Terra has since become the most-funded defence-tech startup in Africa. That kind of capital gives the company the negotiating power to engage the state on structured terms. 

This new partnership does not necessarily contradict its earlier stance; it is not an independent manufacturer for the military and does not operate as a standalone defence contractor. Instead, it is co-building within a government-owned structure. 

Yet, the defence sector can be sensitive and politically-charged, meaning Terra is stepping into a space where public scrutiny and regulatory shifts matter just as much as the product.