Nigerian defence-tech startup Terra Industries has raised an additional $18 million, bringing its total seed financing to $52 million as the company prepares for international expansion and a major increase in manufacturing capacity.

Founded in 2024 by Nathan Nwachuku and Maxwell Maduka, Terra develops autonomous security systems designed to protect governments and critical infrastructure across aerial, ground and maritime environments.

The latest funding round includes existing investors 8VC, Silent Ventures, Nova Global, Belief Capital and SV Angel, alongside new investor Norleo Space Investments and angel investor Grant Gordon.

Terra plans to use the funding to establish its first international office in London, expand its engineering and business-development teams, increase manufacturing capacity and accelerate deployments across emerging markets.

Ghana factory to produce 50,000 systems annually

A major part of Terra's expansion strategy is its manufacturing operation in Ghana.

The company's 34,000-square-foot Pax-2 facility is expected to open in the fourth quarter of 2026 and is planned to eventually produce up to 50,000 aerial systems annually by 2028.

If achieved, the facility would become the largest drone manufacturing operation on the African continent by planned production capacity.

Pax-2 will complement Terra's existing 15,000-square-foot Pax-1 facility in Abuja, giving the company manufacturing operations in both Ghana and Nigeria.

The decision to maintain its manufacturing base in Africa while establishing an international office in London reflects Terra's strategy of combining local production with access to global defence, technology and investment markets.

Building more than drones

Terra is positioning itself as a broader autonomous security technology company rather than simply a drone manufacturer.

Its portfolio includes autonomous drones, interceptor drones, AI-enabled sentry towers and unmanned ground vehicles, all connected through its proprietary ArtemisOS software platform.

The platform is designed to coordinate threat detection, autonomous mission planning and responses across large and complex environments.

Terra says its systems are already being used to protect power plants, mines and other critical infrastructure assets worth approximately $11 billion across several African countries.

The company is targeting sectors including energy, mining, maritime infrastructure, border security, urban infrastructure and counterterrorism.

Why local manufacturing matters

Terra's expansion comes as African governments and infrastructure operators face security challenges ranging from terrorism and organised crime to illegal mining and attacks on critical infrastructure.

The company argues that reliance on imported security systems can create maintenance and supply-chain challenges while giving governments less control over software, data and technology infrastructure.

By manufacturing locally, Terra aims to reduce some of those dependencies while giving customers greater control over the systems protecting their critical infrastructure.

“Critical infrastructure across the Global South is best protected by systems designed for these environments and built in the regions they protect,” Nwachuku said.

From Nigerian startup to Global South defence company

The latest investment marks another major step in Terra's rapid fundraising journey.

The company initially raised $11.8 million, followed by a $22 million extension led by Lux Capital earlier in 2026. The additional $18 million now takes total seed financing to $52 million.

With the Ghana factory, London office and planned expansion into the Gulf, South America and South Asia, Terra is moving beyond its Nigerian roots and pursuing a larger ambition: building an African-founded defence technology company capable of serving critical infrastructure across the Global South.

The company's growth also highlights increasing investor interest in defence technology outside traditional US and European markets, while demonstrating how African startups are increasingly looking to build sophisticated hardware and AI infrastructure on the continent itself.