Defence industry: Manufacturer calls for dedicated funding

Kola Balogun, chairman and CEO of EPAIL Nigeria, urged the government to dedicate funding to research and strengthen regulation to accelerate local defence manufacturing. Speaking to Newsman at AFRIDEX 2026, he called for clearly defined research priorities tied to Nigeria’s security challenges and strict oversight of public funds. He proposed inviting local manufacturers to develop competing solutions to specific security problems, with the government funding and assessing the most promising projects. Balogun also advocated defence industry incubation centres, led in part by DICON, and checks to verify the end-users of sensitive equipment.