Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa, has led a high-level delegation to China for strategic talks aimed at strengthening defence cooperation, security collaboration and military technology transfer.
The visit is part of efforts to deepen bilateral relations between Nigeria and the People’s Republic of China in the areas of defence modernisation and local military production.
This was disclosed in a statement issued on Tuesday by Leah Katung-Babatunde, Special Assistant on Media to the Minister of Defence.
According to the statement, the mission is designed to support the modernisation of the Armed Forces of Nigeria and improve the country’s capacity to manufacture defence equipment locally.
The visit also seeks to expand the role of the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria in domestic military production.
Musa said Nigeria was committed to building partnerships that would move the country beyond dependence on imported defence equipment.
He said the goal was to ensure that Nigeria becomes an active producer of military hardware through technology transfer, industrial collaboration and local capacity development.
The minister said the Federal Government was pursuing a proactive strategy that includes the use of emerging technologies and artificial intelligence in national security operations.
According to him, integrating modern technology into Nigeria’s security architecture will help the Armed Forces respond more effectively to asymmetric threats.
Musa said the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria would play a central role in expanding local production lines and achieving sustainable self-reliance in defence manufacturing.
As part of the visit, the minister toured the headquarters and exhibition centre of China North Industries Corporation, also known as NORINCO Group.
The Nigerian delegation inspected NORINCO’s range of defence products, including land platforms, advanced artillery systems, specialised ammunition and integrated military solutions.
After the tour, Musa held a closed-door meeting with the President and senior executives of NORINCO.
The discussions focused on technology transfer, technical capacity building and the possibility of establishing joint defence production lines in Nigeria.
The proposed collaboration would involve direct partnership with DICON to improve Nigeria’s local manufacturing base.
At the Nigerian Embassy in Beijing, the delegation was received by Nigeria’s Ambassador to China, retired Lt.-Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau.
Dambazau commended the minister’s visit and described it as timely for strengthening Nigeria-China strategic relations.
He said the engagement would help deepen geopolitical cooperation between both countries, especially in the defence and security sectors.
The ambassador also assured the delegation of the embassy’s diplomatic support throughout the week-long mission.
Musa later visited the defence section of the embassy, where he interacted with defence attachés and staff.
He praised them for their dedication to national service and urged them to continue representing Nigeria’s military interests professionally in Asia.
The visit is expected to support Nigeria’s wider goal of improving defence self-reliance, strengthening DICON and enhancing the operational capacity of the Armed Forces of Nigeria.
