Nigeria to manufacture drones as biggest factory opens in Abuja
By Samuel Ogunsona and Carlson Williams Defence Correspondent
Nigeria has taken a bold step to manufacture drones for commercial and military use
In Abuja the largest drone factory has been launched. The company will begin full production of drones in April,2024.
TerraHaptix, the robotics opened the factory on a 15,000-square-foot land in the Federal Capital Terrotory, (FCT)
The new company will begin design, repair and manufacture of drones for commercial, agriculture, military and research purposes.
“The factory will produce autonomous drones for the world’s core industries including defense, energy, logistics, agriculture, and mining” a source in the company told Irohinoodua.
He said the factory will employ thousands of Nigerians and that it has the capacity to produce over 10,000 drones yearly.
The factory is located at Industrial District in Abuja
Experts claim the company, TerraHaptix remains the largest drone manufacturer in Africa.
The company says it develops in-house including the airframe, flight computers, firmware, powertrain, and the flight OS.The company plans to have the full production lifecycle in the same space” the source said.
The complete process from the design to development, prototyping, manufacturing and production will take place within the factory walls.
The factory will also produce airframe, flight computers, firmware and powertrain.
“To accommodate all these processes , the factory includes a research and development lab, a 3D printing facility, a machine shop and a manufacturing line .
This strategy exempts TerraHaptix from the challenges of fragmented supply chain, expensive labor, and high operating costs faced by most drone companies.
It also allows the company to iterate and develop technology very fast” the company said.
The Chief Execurive Officer of the Comapany, Nnamdi Chife, said
“This factory acquisition shows TerraHaptix’s intent as a serious strategic robotics company in Africa, and we can’t wait to commence the production of UAVs that will drive the technological revolution for core industries globally”
Hw said the company plans to launch two product lines in the next four months.
The include a long-range reconnaissance drone for commercial use; a jet-powered attack drone for militaries across the globe.
The company established last year is owned by Maxwell Maduka and Nathan Nwachuku.
The company said in its six months of existence , the company has closed major commercial contracts for the supply of its autonomous drones.
TerraHaptix’s mission, the company said, is to transform the world’s core industries with drones, aiming to hit a production mark of 100,000 drones annually by 2030.
