Tinubu Urges Africa to Build Indigenous Defence Technology and Security Capacity

 

By Atlantic Reports

Tinubu Calls for African-Led Security Solutions

Tinubu made the call on Monday at the opening of the maiden Africa International Defence Exhibition (AFRIDEX) 2026 at Eko Atlantic, Lagos. He was represented by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.

The President said the changing nature of conflict required African countries to develop the expertise and institutions needed to understand and responsibly deploy emerging technologies.

He stressed the importance of developing indigenous solutions and strengthening local capacity, particularly in the maintenance of defence equipment and systems.

According to Tinubu, artificial intelligence, cyber capabilities, space technologies and autonomous systems are reshaping the security environment and requiring countries to adapt their defence strategies.

“Our young people have the talents. Our responsibility is to create the opportunities for them,” he said.

Security Threats Cross Borders and Domains

Tinubu said Africa’s security challenges were becoming increasingly complex, extending across national borders, the Gulf of Guinea, the Sahel, cyberspace and outer space.

He warned that these threats endangered lives and livelihoods, disrupted trade and weakened the foundations of development in many African countries.

The President said insecurity carried significant human and economic costs, including deaths, displacement, disrupted livelihoods and lost economic opportunities.

He commended the Nigerian Armed Forces for confronting terrorism, insurgency, banditry, piracy and other transnational threats, while honouring personnel who had lost their lives in service.

Tinubu said the sacrifices of military personnel placed an obligation on the government to provide adequate equipment, quality training, effective leadership and sustained institutional support.

He added that lasting security depended not only on military strength but also on strong institutions, public trust, reliable partnerships and the industrial capacity to maintain defence systems.

Defence Partnerships Must Deliver Technology Transfer

The President urged international partners to structure defence cooperation around long-term benefits rather than the supply of equipment alone.

He said major acquisitions should create opportunities for skills development, knowledge transfer, stronger local industries and improved maintenance capabilities.

“Every major acquisition should help develop skills, transfer knowledge, strengthen local industries, deepen our capacity to maintain what we operate.

“The measure of a successful partnership is the capability it leaves behind. African engineers must gain expertise, African enterprises must grow, African institutions must become stronger,” he said.

Tinubu also called for predictable funding, adequate equipment, rigorous training and sustained institutional support for African-led peace operations.

He said Nigeria was advancing indigenous defence production, strengthening cooperation with trusted partners and developing capabilities to respond to changing security threats.

However, he stressed that investments in defence must protect citizens while upholding professionalism, discipline, human rights and democratic civilian authority.

Maritime Security and Regional Cooperation

Tinubu called for stronger maritime cooperation to protect the Gulf of Guinea, describing the region as vital to trade, energy security and shared prosperity.

He urged African leaders and defence chiefs to translate discussions at AFRIDEX into practical cooperation through joint training, intelligence sharing, stronger defence industries and improved military coordination.

“Threats that cross borders demand cooperation that crosses borders. We have the people, the resources, the ingenuity to strengthen Africa’s security architecture,” he said.

He added that African countries needed to match their human and material resources with investment, coordination and the political will to respond decisively to security challenges.

Tinubu said the ultimate beneficiaries of the decisions taken at the exhibition should be ordinary citizens, including farmers able to return safely from their fields, children attending school without fear and traders moving freely between markets.

Lagos Highlights Technology and Public Trust

In a goodwill message, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said security was fundamental to economic growth, particularly in a commercial centre such as Lagos.

Sanwo-Olu, represented by his deputy, Obafemi Hamzat, said AFRIDEX provided a platform for African and international stakeholders to explore cooperation across land, air, maritime, space and cyber defence.

He said the exhibition could support improvements in interoperability, intelligence sharing, training, local production and technology transfer, helping African countries develop their own defence capabilities.

The governor noted that the increasingly transnational nature of security threats required cooperation among governments, armed forces, industries and policymakers.

He also disclosed that the Lagos State Government was rebuilding its Command and Control Centre and expanding closed-circuit television coverage to improve surveillance and security coordination.

“We have learnt that modern security rests on technology, coordination and public trust, as much as on personnel,” he said.

DICON Seeks Stronger Military-Industrial Capacity

Earlier, the Director-General of the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON), Maj.-Gen. Ibrahim Alaya, described AFRIDEX as a strategic platform for strengthening Africa’s defence capabilities, advancing technological innovation and building a more secure and self-reliant continent.

Alaya said DICON was established in 1964 to manufacture military hardware for the Nigerian Armed Forces and other security agencies.

He said the corporation had received renewed impetus through the DICON Act 2023, signed into law by Tinubu, which provides a framework for repositioning the organisation and developing Nigeria’s military-industrial complex.

According to Alaya, the legislation also creates opportunities for partnerships with local and international defence industries, technology providers and research institutions.

He said AFRIDEX was designed to showcase defence technologies across land, air, maritime, space and cyber domains, attract investment, facilitate knowledge exchange and strengthen industrial partnerships.

Alaya stressed that the exhibition’s success should ultimately be measured by the partnerships, investments, industrial projects and indigenous capabilities it produces.

From Exhibition to Measurable Results

AFRIDEX 2026 brings together African chiefs of defence staff, security agencies, international manufacturers and procurement leaders to discuss security challenges, showcase technologies and explore partnerships.

The event comes as African countries face security threats that increasingly require coordination across borders and technological domains.

For Nigeria and its continental partners, the challenge will be to turn discussions into measurable results, including stronger local manufacturing, effective maintenance systems, accountable procurement and sustained investment in technical expertise.

Atlantic Reports: Voices. People. Facts.