Nigerian defence technology startup Terra Industries has appointed Nnamdi Chife as Vice President of Military Relations, a strategic move that signals the company’s transition from product development into deeper institutional partnerships with Nigeria’s armed forces.
The appointment follows Terra’s recent memorandum of understanding with the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria, a state run defence corporation operated by the military, to establish a joint venture focused on local assembly, research, and training in drones, robotics, and cybersecurity systems.
The DICON agreement effectively integrates Terra into Nigeria’s formal defence manufacturing architecture, raising expectations around coordination, compliance, and long term military engagement. Chife’s new role will centre on managing high level relationships within the armed forces while advising the chief executive and board on strategic alignment.
In a statement, the company described him as a counter insurgency specialist with a doctorate in Peace and Conflict Studies and over 15 years of experience in Nigeria’s defence ecosystem, adding that he will help guide the development of smart weapons systems for domestic and African security operations.
Chife’s association with Terra dates back to 2023 when he served on the company’s board during the build out of its robotics factory in Abuja. He stepped away in 2024 following a corporate restructuring and rebrand from Terrahaptix to Terra Industries. Before fully transitioning into security intelligence, he spent nearly a decade in finance at Ecobank Nigeria.
In 2018, he founded Chive GPS, a Lagos based conflict resolution and intelligence firm that has worked with agencies such as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on fraud investigations, geolocation intelligence, and asset tracing operations.
Founded in 2023 by Chief Executive Officer Nathan Nwachuku and co founder Maxwell Maduka, Terra Industries has emerged as Africa’s most funded defence tech startup, raising 34 million dollars in 2026 from investors including 8VC, Lux Capital, and Resilience17 Capital.
The company builds drones and automated surveillance systems and is positioning itself as a key local supplier to Nigeria’s military at a time of rising insecurity and renewed calls for domestic defence manufacturing capacity. With the DICON partnership now in motion, Chife’s appointment underscores Terra’s ambition to bridge private sector innovation with state security infrastructure.