ABUJA, Aug 17 – Nigerian defence-tech startup Terra Industries has closed a $52 million seed financing round, marking one of the larger early-stage funding rounds in the African defence technology sector as the company scales production of autonomous systems and expands into international markets.
The Abuja-based company, founded in 2024 by Nigerian entrepreneurs Nathan Nwachuku and Maxwell Maduka, raised an additional $18 million to complete the seed round. Existing investors including 8VC, Silent Ventures, Nova Global, Belief Capital and SV Angel participated, alongside new investor Norleo Space Investments.
The latest financing follows an $11.75 million round announced earlier in the year, backed by 8VC and participating investors including Lux Capital and Valor Equity Partners. Terra subsequently secured a further $22 million bridge round led by Lux Capital.
The company plans to direct the new capital towards increasing manufacturing capacity at its Pax-2 facility in Ghana and establishing an international presence, beginning with an office in London. Terra is also preparing to establish operations in San Francisco and Washington, D.C., to support US partnerships and government engagement.
Terra’s expansion comes after it secured multi-million-dollar contracts with African governments and operators of critical infrastructure, particularly in the oil and mining sectors. The company says its systems are currently being deployed to protect assets valued at about $11 billion.
In April, Terra announced plans for Pax-2, a 34,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Ghana that it expects to become Africa’s largest drone factory. Once fully operational, the company expects the facility to produce as many as 50,000 autonomous systems annually.
The company has developed a portfolio of autonomous technologies covering surveillance, infrastructure monitoring and counter-drone applications. Its Archer vertical take-off and landing system is designed for long-range operations, while Kallon combines an elevated surveillance platform with artificial intelligence-enabled processing and multiple sensors.
Terra has also developed Iroko, a compact quadcopter designed for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance applications, as well as Kama, an interceptor drone that has undergone trials with several West African militaries.
Demand for Terra’s systems has so far been concentrated on persistent surveillance and monitoring of infrastructure and other high-value sites. The company expects demand for autonomous and counter-autonomous aerial systems to increase as African governments and militaries expand their adoption of defence technology.
Chief Executive Officer Nathan Nwachuku said the company is targeting more than $100 million in contract bookings and eight-figure revenue by the end of the year. He also said Terra is in advanced discussions with several African governments and militaries over the deployment of its autonomous systems.
“The additional strategic funding will help us expand manufacturing capacity as we near completion of our Pax-2 facility in Ghana,” Nwachuku said. “This will be pivotal for the next step in Terra’s journey: scaling into other markets across the Global South and building adjacent business lines to accompany our defense deployments.”
The company’s expansion reflects a broader effort by African technology companies to build domestic manufacturing capabilities in sectors traditionally dominated by foreign suppliers. For Terra, establishing production capacity in Africa could allow it to serve regional customers while developing a base for expansion into other emerging markets.
With the latest funding secured, the company’s immediate focus will be completing Pax-2, expanding production and building commercial and government relationships outside Africa. The expansion also positions Terra within a growing global market for autonomous systems, as governments and critical infrastructure operators increasingly invest in technologies for surveillance, security and asset protection.
