Terra Industries Nears Completion of Africa’s Largest Drone Factory in Ghana
Lead
Nigerian defense-technology startup Terra Industries has closed a $52 million seed funding round and opened a London office as it pushes to complete Pax-2, a 34,000-square-foot drone manufacturing plant in Accra, Ghana, that the company says will become the largest drone factory on the African continent. The facility, once fully operational, is intended to mass-produce three systems: the Archer VTOL surveillance and strike drone, the Iroko quadcopter, and the Kama interceptor, a counter-drone system already in trials with militaries across West Africa. The expansion reflects a broader push by African governments to reduce dependence on foreign UAV suppliers as jihadist and criminal groups increasingly use commercial drones across the Sahel and Lake Chad Basin.
What Happened
Terra Industries, founded in Abuja in 2024 by chief executive Nathan Nwachuku and co-founder Maxwell Maduka, confirmed on August 17, 2026, that it had raised an additional $18 million, closing a seed round that now totals $52 million across three tranches, according to Tectonic Defense, which first reported the deal. The round included an $11.75 million tranche led by 8VC in January 2026 and a $22 million bridge led by Lux Capital, with the final $18 million bringing in new investor Norleo Space Investments alongside existing backers Silent Ventures, Nova Global, Belief Capital, SV Angel and Valor Equity Partners. The company was valued in the nine figures, though it did not disclose an exact valuation.
The new capital is earmarked for completing the Ghana manufacturing line and for opening international offices in London, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., the last aimed at pursuing partnerships with the US government. Terra says it is projecting more than $100 million in contract bookings and eight-figure revenue by the end of 2026, and claims its systems already protect roughly $11 billion in assets across African client sites, though these figures are company claims that have not been independently audited.
The Product/System
Pax-2, first announced in April 2026 according to TechCabal, is Terra’s second production facility after its original 15,000-square-foot Pax-1 plant in Abuja, Nigeria, which currently builds Archer and Iroko units daily alongside a smaller run of about 20 Kama prototypes. The Ghana site is designed to scale that output substantially, with the company projecting annual production capacity of roughly 50,000 systems by 2028 and around 120 new engineering jobs in Ghana. Initial reporting in April pointed to the factory becoming operational by mid-2026; later coverage indicated the timeline had slipped toward the fourth quarter of 2026, which the company attributed to final tooling and supply-chain work as it neared completion.
The factory’s three flagship products serve distinct roles. The Archer is a vertical-takeoff-and-landing fixed-wing drone built for long-range border surveillance and strike, with a claimed range of up to 1,000 kilometers, roughly 13 hours of endurance and a 26-foot wingspan. The Iroko is a small quadcopter intended for rapid tactical deployment, covering both reconnaissance and one-way attack roles. Kama, the newest addition, is a high-speed interceptor rated at up to 300 kilometers per hour, purpose-built to bring down small commercial and militant-operated drones and, according to the company, adaptable for ground-vehicle interception as well.
Who Uses It
Terra describes Kama as having completed trials with “several militaries across West Africa,” without naming specific operators, so that claim should be treated as a company statement pending independent confirmation. Nwachuku has pitched the company’s products directly to regional defense chiefs; at the Africa Chiefs of Defense conference in Luanda, Angola, he told attendees, “we now are in a technological arms race against terrorists,” arguing that “we can’t keep relying on multimillion-dollar fighter jets to take out fighters on $2,000 bikes,” according to Africa Defense Forum, a publication affiliated with US Africa Command. Confirmed operational deployments beyond the trial stage have not been independently verified.
Export/Procurement History
Terra Industries has not disclosed formal export licenses or government-to-government procurement contracts for its systems. Its business so far appears to rest on private contracts to protect commercial and infrastructure assets in Nigeria, plus ongoing military trials of Kama in the wider West Africa region. The company’s stated plan to open a Washington office to pursue US government partnerships signals an ambition to expand beyond African markets, but no US contract has been announced.
Global Competitors
Terra is one of several African firms racing to build domestic drone-manufacturing capacity rather than rely on established foreign suppliers such as Turkey’s Baykar and TAI, China’s CASC and CASIC, or Iranian-designed systems that have proliferated informally across conflict zones. Nigerian rivals and regional counterparts are also emerging, and Ethiopia has separately expanded state-linked drone production amid its own internal conflict. On the counter-drone side, Kama would compete with systems from established Western and Israeli vendors as well as newer African entrants such as Nigeria’s BabaSky, which has unveiled its own integrated counter-drone system to Nigeria’s armed forces. Terra’s pitch is largely one of cost and proximity: lower-cost, regionally produced hardware built for African terrain and threat profiles rather than imported systems designed for other theaters.
Why It Matters
The expansion comes as armed groups including JNIM and Islamic State-linked factions increasingly use inexpensive commercial and modified drones across the Sahel, driving demand for both strike and interceptor capability among regional militaries. A domestically built counter-drone system produced at scale in West Africa, if it performs as claimed, would reduce lead times and costs compared with importing Western or Chinese equivalents, and would keep more of the associated manufacturing and maintenance work on the continent. It also positions Ghana, rather than Nigeria alone, as a manufacturing hub for the sector, and gives Terra a base for onward exports.
What Happens Next
Pax-2’s full operational start, most recently pointed to the fourth quarter of 2026, is the next milestone to watch, along with whether Terra converts its West African Kama trials into confirmed contracts and whether its Washington office yields any engagement with the US government or allied militaries. The company’s projected 2026 revenue and contract-booking figures will also be testable against its actual year-end results.
FAQ
What is Terra Industries?
Terra Industries is a Nigerian defense-technology company founded in Abuja in 2024 by CEO Nathan Nwachuku and co-founder Maxwell Maduka. It builds aerial drones, including surveillance, strike and counter-drone systems, for African military and commercial customers.
Where is Terra Industries building its new drone factory?
The new facility, called Pax-2, is a 34,000-square-foot plant in Accra, Ghana. It is Terra’s first manufacturing site outside Nigeria and is intended to become the largest drone factory on the continent.
What is the Kama interceptor drone?
Kama is Terra Industries’ counter-drone interceptor, rated at speeds up to 300 kilometers per hour and designed to bring down small commercial and militant-operated drones. The company says it has been adapted for ground-vehicle interception and has undergone trials with unnamed militaries in West Africa.
How much funding has Terra Industries raised?
The company has raised $52 million in seed funding across three tranches: $11.75 million led by 8VC in January 2026, a $22 million bridge led by Lux Capital, and an additional $18 million that closed in August 2026, bringing in new investor Norleo Space Investments.
When will the Ghana factory be fully operational?
Terra initially targeted mid-2026 for Pax-2 to become operational; more recent reporting points to the fourth quarter of 2026. The company projects the plant will reach an annual capacity of about 50,000 systems by 2028.
Sources
- TechCabal, “Nigeria’s Terra is building a drone factory in Ghana,” April 20, 2026 — techcabal.com. First report of the Pax-2 announcement and initial specifications.
- Tectonic Defense, “Exclusive: Nigeria’s Terra Industries Raises Another $18M to Close $52M Seed Round, Opens London Office,” August 17, 2026 — tectonicdefense.com. Source for the funding close, investor list and office expansion.
- Tectonic Defense, “Exclusive: Terra Industries Opens Africa’s Largest Drone Factory in Ghana” — tectonicdefense.com. Product specifications for Archer, Iroko and Kama, and Pax-1 production details.
- Africa Defense Forum, “The Factory Is the Ultimate Weapon,” August 2026 — adf-magazine.com. CEO Nathan Nwachuku’s remarks at the Africa Chiefs of Defense conference in Luanda, Angola.
- Al Jazeera, “Can Nigeria’s drone industry deliver Africa’s defence sovereignty?,” July 13, 2026 — aljazeera.com. Broader context on African domestic drone manufacturing.
- DroneXL, “Terrahaptix Builds Africa’s Largest Drone Factory in Ghana as JNIM and ISIS Drive Sahel Arms Race,” April 20, 2026 — dronexl.co. Regional security context for demand.
