The Minister of State for Defence, Dr. Bello Muhammed Matawalle, has led a high-level Nigerian defence delegation on a two-day visit to key defence industry establishments in Egypt as part of efforts to deepen bilateral defence cooperation and boost indigenous military production.
The visit focused on strengthening Nigeria’s long-term defence industrial capacity through technology transfer, technical cooperation and potential joint manufacturing initiatives.
The delegation comprised officials from the Ministry of Defence, Defence Headquarters, the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Air Force, Office of the National Security Adviser, Defence Intelligence Agency and the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON)
On the first day, the Nigerian delegation toured the manufacturing facilities of Eagle International for Defence Systems Company in Suez, where they examined various defence systems and equipment produced by the Egyptian firm.
Speaking during the visit, Matawalle described the engagement as strategic and developmental rather than an immediate procurement exercise.
He said Nigeria was seeking sustainable industrial partnerships that would enable both countries to collaborate, particularly through DICON, on the joint manufacture of selected military equipment and systems.
According to him, such cooperation would strengthen Nigeria’s indigenous production capacity, develop specialised technical expertise, expand local content and facilitate the transfer of relevant defence technologies and industrial knowledge to Nigeria.
On the second day, the delegation held a high-level meeting with Egypt’s Ministry of Military Production in Cairo, where discussions centred on areas of mutual interest, including the prospect of establishing an ammunition production line in Nigeria through structured technical and industrial cooperation.
Both sides expressed interest in advancing the proposed collaboration and working towards formal agreements that would provide the framework for its implementation.
The initiative is expected to support Nigeria’s strategic objective of achieving greater self-reliance in critical defence production, reducing dependence on external sources and strengthening the capacity of the Armed Forces to meet their equipment and operational requirements.
Matawalle said the initiative aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and the Federal Government’s vision of developing a modern military-industrial complex capable of enhancing national security while promoting indigenous innovation and technological development.
The Ministry of Defence said the Egypt visit represents another step towards translating the government’s defence industrialisation agenda into practical and sustainable partnerships.
It added that continued engagements with Egyptian defence institutions would focus on developing concrete frameworks for technology and knowledge transfer, strengthening bilateral defence relations and building a self-reliant, resilient and technologically advanced defence industrial base in Nigeria.
