Nigerian Drone Maker Opens Ghana Factory, Eyes 50K Units

A Nigerian company is about to make West Africa a major player in the global drone industry, and it's choosing collaboration over competition to get there.

Terra Industries, a defense-tech startup that's already raised $34 million this year, announced plans to open a massive drone factory in Accra, Ghana. The facility, called Pax-2, will span 34,000 square feet and is set to launch in June.

This isn't just about manufacturing. Terra currently produces unmanned aerial vehicles, ground vehicles, and sensory towers from its 15,000-square-foot facility in Abuja, Nigeria. The Ghana expansion triples their production footprint as they race toward an ambitious goal: 50,000 drones by 2028.

If they hit that target, Terra would become the largest hardware manufacturer in Africa's defense-tech sector. That's a remarkable trajectory for a company that only recently began embedding itself into Nigeria's military operations.

In February, Terra signed a partnership with Nigeria's Armed Forces to assemble defense equipment and train local talent. Now they're extending that same philosophy across borders.

The Ripple Effect

The Ghana factory will employ about 120 engineers, creating high-skilled jobs while building the country's defense-tech talent pool from the ground up. This matters beyond just employment numbers.

Right now, most African nations rely heavily on imported defense systems and technology. By manufacturing locally and training engineers in both Nigeria and Ghana, Terra is helping the region develop its own capacity.

The company is positioning itself at the center of West Africa's emerging defense manufacturing ecosystem. Skills, knowledge, and production expertise will flow across borders as both governments work to reduce their dependence on foreign suppliers.

This approach could reshape how African countries think about regional collaboration. Instead of competing for foreign investment, they're building shared capacity that benefits multiple nations.

The timing couldn't be better. African governments are increasingly interested in locally produced technology for security, logistics, and emergency response. Drones can reach flooded areas faster, move supplies across difficult terrain, and respond to crises in ways traditional vehicles can't.

West Africa is proving that innovation doesn't require choosing winners and losers between neighboring countries—sometimes the smartest move is building together.