LAGOS, Nigeria (XOL Africa) — Terra Industries, Africa’s largest defense-technology company developing autonomous security systems for critical infrastructure, has raised an additional $18 million, bringing its total seed financing to $52 million as it expands manufacturing in Africa and begins establishing a presence in major international defense and technology markets.
The latest funding includes participation from existing investors 8VC, Silent Ventures, Nova Global, Belief Capital and SV Angel, alongside new investor Norleo Space Investments and angel investor Grant Gordon, according to the company.
Terra said the capital will be used to expand manufacturing capacity, accelerate deployments across the Global South, and increase its engineering, operations and business-development teams. The company will also open its first international office in London.
The startup was founded in 2024 by Nathan Nwachukwu and Maxwell Maduka, who were in their early 20s when they launched the company. Terra designs and manufactures autonomous systems intended to help governments and infrastructure operators monitor and protect critical assets across land, air and maritime environments.
The company says its technology is already deployed across several African countries to protect infrastructure and other assets valued at approximately $11 billion, including power plants, mines and other nationally important facilities.
“Critical infrastructure across the Global South is best protected by systems designed for these environments and built in the regions they protect,” Nwachukwu, Terra’s co-founder and CEO, said. “This funding lets us scale that work and deepen our manufacturing base. It also puts us in the rooms where global defense decisions are made.”
From Abuja to Accra
A major portion of Terra’s expansion is centered on manufacturing.
The company is building Pax-2, a 34,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Accra, Ghana. The plant follows Pax-1, Terra’s 15,000-square-foot flagship facility in Abuja, Nigeria, and is intended to become the company’s primary regional manufacturing base for drone and counter-drone systems.
Terra says Pax-2 will be the largest drone factory in Africa once fully operational. It is expected to reach an annual production capacity of 50,000 units across Terra’s aerial-systems portfolio by 2028. The facility is also expected to create 120 engineering jobs.
The company has said the Ghana facility will manufacture systems including Archer, Iroko and Kama, with production designed to run continuously as Terra attempts to meet growing demand from African customers.
Terra’s latest announcement places the opening of Pax-2 in the fourth quarter of 2026. Earlier company materials had described a faster timeline, making the new date an apparent update to its previous schedule.
The expansion follows Terra’s earlier $11.75 million funding round led by 8VC in January and a subsequent $22 million extension led by Lux Capital in February. The latest $18 million brings the company’s seed financing to $52 million.
Terra has not disclosed its latest valuation. Nwachukwu previously said the company’s valuation had entered the nine-figure range following the February financing.
Building autonomous security systems
Terra’s product portfolio extends beyond conventional drones. The company develops long- and mid-range autonomous aircraft, interceptor drones, sentry towers and unmanned ground vehicles, with plans for broader multi-domain capabilities.
Its systems are connected through ArtemisOS, Terra’s proprietary software platform for large-scale security operations. The platform is designed to provide real-time threat detection, autonomous mission planning and coordinated responses across large and difficult operating environments.
One of the company’s principal systems is Archer, a vertical takeoff and landing aircraft designed for long-range surveillance and other missions. The drone has a reported range of about 1,000 kilometers, endurance of up to 13 hours, a payload capacity of about 9 pounds and a wingspan of roughly 26 feet.
Iroko is a smaller quadcopter designed for tactical intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations.
Kallon is a solar-powered sentry tower equipped with sensors and artificial intelligence-enabled edge processing. Terra says the system can detect and track potential threats from several kilometers away.
The company’s Kama system is a high-speed interceptor drone designed for counter-drone operations. It can reach speeds of up to 300 kilometers per hour, according to Terra, and has undergone trials with several militaries in West Africa.
Terra has also developed Duma, an unmanned ground vehicle, as part of its broader effort to build a multi-domain autonomous security platform.
The company’s technology is currently used in sectors including energy, mineral resources, urban infrastructure, maritime assets, border security and counterterrorism operations.
A push for locally built defense technology
Terra’s expansion comes as African governments and infrastructure operators face persistent threats from terrorism, sabotage, organized crime and illegal mining.
The company argues that many governments and critical infrastructure operators in Africa and other parts of the Global South have historically relied on imported security systems that were designed for different operating environments.
According to Terra, that dependence can increase maintenance costs and create exposure to foreign supply chains and geopolitical restrictions while limiting local control over software and operational data.
The company is instead positioning its business around locally manufactured hardware combined with proprietary software and data systems.
Terra says its vertically integrated approach is intended to give governments and infrastructure operators greater control over how their security systems are deployed, maintained and operated.
The company describes this as part of a broader shift toward autonomous and predictive security systems that can monitor large areas continuously and respond to threats without relying entirely on troop-heavy or reactive approaches.
Its ArtemisOS platform is central to that strategy, integrating Terra’s hardware into a single operating environment for surveillance, intelligence gathering and autonomous response. Earlier reporting said the company’s systems were already being used to protect infrastructure including hydropower plants, power facilities and mining operations in Nigeria and Ghana.
From African startup to global defense company
The latest funding also marks a shift in Terra’s geographic ambitions.
The London office will give the company access to institutions involved in international defense and infrastructure markets, as well as talent in artificial intelligence and operations, according to Terra.
The company is also establishing a presence in Washington, D.C., to support U.S. government and industry engagement, while planning an office in San Francisco.
Terra has said its manufacturing base will remain in Africa even as it expands internationally. The company plans to pursue additional operations and manufacturing opportunities across the Gulf, South America and South Asia.
The strategy reflects the company’s effort to move from an African defense startup into a broader supplier of autonomous security technology for emerging markets.
Terra says it is targeting governments, military customers, infrastructure operators and strategic partners across Africa and internationally.
The company also expects strong commercial growth. Nwachukwu has said Terra is on track to record more than $100 million in contract bookings and eight-figure revenue in 2026. The company is also negotiating additional contracts with African governments and militaries.
Much of the existing demand is for persistent monitoring and autonomous surveillance of infrastructure and high-value sites, particularly using systems such as Archer and Kallon.
That demand could expand as Terra scales Kama and its other counter-unmanned systems, Nwachukwu said.
“Our Pax-2 manufacturing facility, for instance, will be critical to fulfilling orders for unmanned and counter-unmanned aerial vehicles, which are in high demand across African militaries,” he said.
Terra’s stated ambition extends beyond individual drones. The company describes itself as a multi-domain systems and data-intelligence company seeking to build what it calls a defense prime for Africa and the Global South.
Founded in 2024, the company now combines autonomous air, land and maritime systems with ArtemisOS, its software platform for large-scale security operations.
Its mission, according to the company, is to give countries across the Global South greater technological capacity to secure critical infrastructure and respond to emerging security threats.
The $52 million seed round gives Terra substantially more capital to pursue that ambition while it builds manufacturing capacity in Africa and establishes a foothold in London, Washington and San Francisco.
Editor: Gabriel Ani
SUPPORT AFRICAN BUSINESS JOURNALISM
Help XOL Africa expand independent business reporting across Africa.
SUPPORT XOL AFRICA →
