The agreement covers potential collaboration in training, autonomous systems, command and control, integrated security and cybersecurity.
Turkish defence electronics and software company HAVELSAN and the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the Africa International Defence Exhibition (AFRIDEX) 2026 in Lagos, establishing a framework for potential cooperation across defence and security technologies.
HAVELSAN announced the agreement on 29 October, the 103rd anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic of Türkiye. It adds a formal cooperation framework to the industrial discussions held during the inaugural exhibition, which ran from 26 to 29 October 2026 at Eko Atlantic City.
Six Areas of Potential Cooperation
The MoU covers potential collaboration in six fields: command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C4ISR); simulation and training; unmanned and autonomous systems; information and communication technologies; integrated security solutions; and cybersecurity.
HAVELSAN said the agreement would enable both organisations to explore technological cooperation, identify mutually beneficial projects and lay the groundwork for sustainable, long-term partnerships. In its announcement, the company said: “We look forward to translating this shared vision into tangible projects and building a strong, enduring, and mutually beneficial partnership between Türkiye and Nigeria.”
The fields listed match HAVELSAN’s product range. The company builds command and control software, combat management systems, simulators and artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as its EYEMINER video analytics system, and it has pitched an integrated critical infrastructure security concept to African customers. In October it also demonstrated coordinated unmanned air and maritime operations, linking a drone launched from an unmanned surface vessel through its own mission management software.
Build Together, Produce Together
The signing followed a Türkiye–Nigeria industrial cooperation panel on Wednesday 28 October, which examined joint development, manufacturing, investment, technology transfer and skills development.
During that discussion, HAVELSAN Vice President Şevket Ünal outlined the company’s approach to developing capability with local partners. “Our model is very simple: Build together, produce together, and sustain together,” Ünal said.
HAVELSAN also hosted senior Nigerian defence officials at the exhibition, including Defence Minister General Christopher Gwabin Musa (retd) and Minister of State for Defence Dr Bello Muhammad Matawalle, for discussions on potential collaboration.
Turkish industry has been moving steadily into Nigeria’s defence sector. In August, the two countries used the 7th Defence Industry Business Forum in Abuja to shift their relationship from direct arms purchases towards joint manufacturing and technology transfer. HAVELSAN has followed the same path elsewhere in Africa: in September it turned a year-long joint development programme with Egypt’s Arab Organisation for Industrialisation (AOI) into a sales agreement for the Hamza-1 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).
From MoU to Projects in Nigeria’s Defence Industry
For DICON, the state-owned arms maker founded in 1964 and the lead organiser of AFRIDEX, the agreement adds a software and electronics partner to a growing list of industrial links. Those include its DICON-D7G joint venture, a partnership with Egypt’s Eagle International and Abuja’s request for Czech help with an ammunition production line.
The MoU sets out areas to explore rather than funded programmes, and neither side has named a first project. The fields it covers, from C4ISR and simulation to cybersecurity, are those where Nigeria’s armed forces rely most heavily on imported systems. The next step to watch is whether HAVELSAN and DICON turn the framework into a joint project, a local simulation or software centre, or a contract for the Nigerian armed forces.