For most African venture capitalists, the formula is familiar: payments, logistics, e-commerce, rinse, repeat. If it’s not another fintech claiming to “bank the unbanked,” it’s a last-mile delivery startup trying to ride the continent’s mobile revolution. But there’s a blind spot in this formula — a massive one. And it’s hiding in plain sight: Defence technology.

It sounds odd at first. Defence tech? In Nigeria? In Africa? That’s for Lockheed Martin, DARPA, and billion-dollar government contracts — not scrappy African founders navigating Lagos traffic and power outages. But that’s precisely the point.

Across Nigeria, startups like Kifta Technologies, Proforce Defence Limited and Terrahaptix are quietly building drones, armoured vehicles, and surveillance systems. They’re not building the next Flutterwave — they’re building gear to protect lives, secure borders, and offer governments alternatives to importing every piece of defence infrastructure.

In 2024, Proforce exported armoured vehicles to other West African countries. Kifta’s smart UAV systems — originally built to protect textile supply chains — are now tailored for border security, firefighting, and even facial recognition. Terrahaptix? They’ve sold over $2 million worth of drones and surveillance gear from an Abuja-based facility. These aren’t experiments. They’re businesses. They’re growing.

And now, they’re not alone. Just recently, the Nigerian military — in collaboration with Briech UAS — unveiled Africa’s largest indigenous attack drones. According to a report by Innovation Village, this milestone was hailed by Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff as a major step toward military self-reliance, enabling the country to act “faster, smarter, and more independently.”

It’s proof that defence tech isn’t just possible in Africa — it’s already here. Yet few investors in Africa are paying attention.

In the US, defence tech VC funding surged 33% in 2024, hitting $31 billion. Startups like Anduril and Shield AI are reshaping how the US thinks about military innovation — not from state-run labs, but from agile, privately backed ventures. In Europe, funding for defence startups grew over 500% between 2021 and 2024. The war in Ukraine made one thing clear: outsourcing national defence is risky, and innovation at home is critical.

So, the question is: Why not Africa?

The continent is grappling with threats from terrorism, oil theft, piracy, and cybercrime. Governments are stretched thin. Foreign arms are expensive and often outdated. Meanwhile, local startups are building tailored, affordable tech — and no one is writing them a cheque.

Investing in defence tech isn’t about militarising Africa. It’s about self-reliance. It’s about building tools to protect critical infrastructure, secure election materials, monitor borders, and even fight wildfires. It’s about creating engineering jobs, stimulating local manufacturing, and reclaiming agency over national security.

In a world moving towards strategic autonomy, where every country wants to rely less on foreign suppliers for critical infrastructure, African defence startups can — and should — lead the charge.

The truth is, the continent’s next unicorn may not be a sleek payments app. It may be a gritty hardware company that builds bulletproof vehicles, AI-powered surveillance systems, or anti-drone tech. It may not trend on Twitter. But it’ll matter.

Africa doesn’t just need more apps — it needs resilience. It needs security. It needs tools. And right now, a few daring startups are building them in silence.

It’s time African investors listened.