A 24-year-old Nigerian entrepreneur is behind what will become the largest drone manufacturing plant in Africa, with construction of a 34,000-square-foot facility in Accra, Ghana nearing completion.
Terra Industries, a Nigerian defence technology startup co-founded and led by CEO Nathan Nwachuku, announced on April 19, 2026, that its new plant, named Pax-2, will be fully operational by the end of June 2026. The facility will serve as the company’s primary regional base for producing autonomous aerial systems and counter-drone technology.
Pax-2 more than doubles the footprint of Terra’s flagship 15,000-square-foot Pax-1 factory in Abuja, Nigeria. Once at full capacity, the Accra plant is projected to produce 50,000 units annually by 2028 across Terra’s aerial systems portfolio. The factory will create 120 engineering jobs in Ghana and run on a continuous production schedule to meet growing regional demand for advanced security systems.
“We chose Ghana for Pax-2 because of its talent, strategic position, and political will to become a serious defence exporter,” Nwachuku said. He added that the choice was deliberate, citing Ghana’s free zones regime that offers tax holidays and duty exemptions. “The only way Africa can have lasting peace is by building its own defence capabilities, not by relying on foreign security architecture,” he said.
Founded in Abuja in 2024 by Nwachuku and co-founder Maxwell Maduka, Terra Industries has raised $34 million across two funding rounds in early 2026. An initial $11.75 million round in January was led by United States venture firm 8VC, founded by Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale. A subsequent $22 million follow-on round in February was led by Lux Capital. Other investors include Resilience17 Capital, founded by Flutterwave chief executive Olugbenga Agboola, Nova Global, and Silent Ventures. The funding makes Terra the most-funded defence technology startup in Africa and pushed the company’s valuation into the hundreds of millions.
The Ghana factory will produce three of Terra’s aerial systems: the Archer VTOL, a long-range surveillance and strike platform; the Iroko UAV, built for rapid tactical deployment; and Kama, a high-speed interceptor drone capable of reaching 300 kilometres per hour that is designed for counter-drone defence and engineered for high-volume production.
The expansion comes as al-Qaeda and Islamic State affiliates escalate drone warfare across the Sahel. Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, the al-Qaeda coalition in Mali and Burkina Faso, conducted at least 89 drone operations between 2023 and 2025, and Islamic State Sahel Province struck Niamey International Airport with suicide drones in January 2026. “Pax-2 comes as al-Qaeda and Islamic State affiliates escalate drone warfare across the Sahel, a threat that has outpaced the counter-drone capabilities of most African militaries,” the company said.
Nwachuku, described as being in his early 20s, and Maduka have executed quickly since launching in 2024. Terra says it already protects roughly $11 billion in assets across eight African countries, including hydropower plants, lithium mines, and oil facilities. In February, the company signed a memorandum of understanding with the defence corporation run by the Nigerian Armed Forces to create a unit that assembles arms and trains local talent.
“This is an important step toward building systems designed and produced on the continent,” Nwachuku said. “We are proving that this can be done at scale.”
