By Destiny Obinna
Nigeria is stepping up efforts to achieve self-sufficiency in military equipment production, with arrangements at an advanced stage for the provision of a military jetty in Lagos as the country seeks to position itself as a major defence manufacturing and supply hub in Africa.
The Chief Executive Officer of Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria-D7G (DICON-D7G), Mr Osman Chennar, disclosed this in a statement issued on Saturday in Abuja.
Chennar said the planned military jetty would strengthen Nigeria’s defence capabilities and support its ambition to supply military equipment to the country and other African nations.
He said the development was part of broader efforts to build a robust indigenous defence manufacturing industry and reduce Nigeria’s dependence on imported military hardware.
The DICON-D7G boss spoke against the backdrop of Nigeria’s participation in the 2026 El Alamein International Airshow in Egypt, which he described as another demonstration of the country’s growing capabilities in the global defence industry.
The airshow, held from September 8 to 10 in Egypt, brought together major players in the international aerospace and defence sector.
According to Chennar, DICON-D7G’s participation marked the third major international defence industry exhibition where Nigeria had showcased its growing capabilities.
“We were in Doha, Qatar; Ankara, Türkiye; and now Cairo, Egypt,” he stated.
He explained that DICON-D7G was a collaborative defence manufacturing partnership between the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria and D7G Limited, established to produce military hardware locally, reduce dependence on imports and strengthen national security.
Chennar said the partnership was positioning Nigeria to attain greater heights in defence manufacturing while contributing to the development of Africa’s defence and security ecosystem.
He added that Nigeria’s increasing visibility at international defence exhibitions demonstrated steady progress in indigenous defence manufacturing and reflected the country’s ambition to become a significant player in the African defence industry.
