Defence renewal can unlock investment, jobs, local manufacturing — Alaita

Felix Alaita, retired Army colonel, founder, chief executive officer of Kryterion Limited, and founder of the Defence Futures Lab, has said that Nigeria’s defence renewal agenda could stimulate domestic manufacturing, technology development, investment, and skilled employment if the country translates security needs into productive economic opportunities.

Following the Defence Futures Summit held in Abuja recently, Alaita spoke with KENNETH ATHEKAME on the commercial opportunities emerging from defence innovation, the role of local businesses in developing indigenous capabilities, and the imperative for accountability in public-private partnerships. Excerpts:

What are the major economic implications of Nigeria’s defence renewal agenda following the Defence Futures Summit?

Nigeria has an opportunity to turn its security requirements into productive economic capacity. Beyond strengthening our defence institutions, we need Nigerian businesses capable of developing, manufacturing, maintaining, and improving the technologies those institutions depend on.

The summit brought government, military, industry, academic, technology, and creative stakeholders together to examine how Nigeria can build more of these capabilities locally. The emphasis was on indigenous research, industrial development, innovation, and collaboration.

The economic value will depend on what happens after the summit. We need projects with clearly defined objectives, responsible institutions, appropriate funding, and measurable outcomes. If we can move from discussions to implementation, defence spending can create opportunities for local suppliers, skilled workers, technology entrepreneurs, and manufacturers while strengthening national security.

How can defence renewal support local manufacturing and reduce Nigeria’s dependence on imported technology?

The starting point is to identify the capabilities Nigeria needs and determine which of them can be developed or sustained locally. We should not assume that every component or technology can be produced domestically immediately, but we can build capacity progressively through research, engineering, skills development, and industrial partnerships.

Local companies can contribute to equipment maintenance, software development, secure digital infrastructure, components, energy systems, and other services. Universities and research institutions can support product development, testing, and innovation, while investors can provide capital for businesses with credible commercial prospects.

The objective is to retain more knowledge, intellectual property, and economic value within Nigeria. International partnerships will remain important, but they should help Nigerian teams acquire the skills and technical capacity to operate, maintain, and improve the systems they use.

What is the Defence Futures Lab, and how does it differ from the Defence Futures Summit?

The Defence Futures Lab is a continuing platform convened by Kryterion Limited to help develop Nigeria’s future defence capabilities through collaboration across technology, industry, research, and the creative economy.

Its immediate origin was the Kryterion Defence Roundtable at the Omniverse Africa Summit 3.0 in Lagos on June 3, 2026. That engagement brought defence practitioners together with technology companies, industrial players, researchers, innovators, and members of the diplomatic community.

Following that engagement, the Minister of Defence directed that the process be reconvened with concrete outputs within a 90-day period. The October summit advanced that process on a broader scale.

The distinction is that the summit provides an opportunity to convene stakeholders, examine priorities, and assess progress, while the Lab is intended to sustain collaboration between such engagements. It can help participants develop ideas, identify partners, and establish practical routes towards research, testing, and implementation. The relevant public institutions retain their statutory responsibilities and decision-making authority.

What role does Kryterion Limited play in this process?

Kryterion is a strategy, programme-delivery, and venture-building company. Our work involves helping institutions and businesses translate important objectives into practical programmes, partnerships, and enterprises.

A project may begin with a policy objective or an institutional challenge. It then requires a workable solution, the right partners, a means of testing the proposed intervention, and a route to adoption or investment.

Our work cuts across defence, technology, and the creative economy because these sectors increasingly depend on one another. Defence needs technological and industrial capacity; technology companies need clearly defined problems and viable routes to market; and creative enterprises can contribute intellectual property, training tools, simulation experiences, and public communication.

Through Kryterion, my work has included developing and launching the DICON Evolution Strategy 2030, supporting DICON’s brand direction, and establishing the Africa Defence Industries Conference. The broader objective is to connect national priorities with institutions and businesses capable of delivering measurable results.

How does the Defence Futures Lab align with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s defence renewal agenda and the Minister of Defence’s priorities?

The President’s national direction provides the broader context, while the Minister of Defence leads the sector’s renewal efforts. Our contribution is to support the translation of relevant priorities into structured collaboration involving industry, technology, research, and talent development.

The Defence Futures Lab is designed to connect capability development with domestic enterprise, investment, and skills. This also requires attention to military welfare, institutional knowledge, and public trust.

The Minister, Gen Christopher Gwabin Musa (Rtd), OFR, brings his experience as a former Chief of Defence Staff to the role. The opportunity is to strengthen institutions, improve support for personnel, and expand Nigeria’s ability to develop solutions to its defence challenges.

For us, the important measure is not the number of meetings held or partnerships announced. It is whether the work contributes to stronger institutions, useful local capabilities, and tangible benefits for service personnel, their families, and the wider economy.

Where do you see the biggest business and investment opportunities in this emerging ecosystem?

There are opportunities across engineering, digital infrastructure, energy, training, equipment maintenance, research, and creative production.

Technology companies could develop secure software and communications systems. Manufacturers could supply components and maintenance services, while engineering firms could support industrial supply chains. Energy businesses could explore power generation, storage, and charging infrastructure where these address clearly established needs.

The creative economy also has potential in simulation, animation, games, film production, and digital learning tools. These activities can create intellectual property and employment while serving both defence and civilian markets.

For investors, however, the opportunity must be assessed on its fundamentals. A credible team, demonstrated demand, a realistic development plan, an identifiable customer, and a clear financing requirement are essential. Participation in the Lab may help businesses find relevant collaborators, but it does not substitute for commercial due diligence or guarantee funding.

Can defence spending become a catalyst for job creation and entrepreneurship in Nigeria?

Yes, provided domestic businesses are positioned to participate meaningfully in the value chain.

When local companies develop and supply products or services that meet genuine institutional needs, the economic benefits can extend beyond the initial transaction. They can include skilled employment, technical training, supplier development, intellectual property, and opportunities to export relevant products to other markets.

Small and medium-sized enterprises can participate through specialist services, components, software, logistics, maintenance, and other support activities. Larger firms can help establish industrial capacity and supplier networks, while universities and training providers can develop the skills required to sustain those activities.

The challenge is to build a system in which local firms can demonstrate quality, reliability, and value for money. Domestic participation should be supported by clear technical requirements, appropriate standards, and transparent procurement processes. That is how defence renewal can contribute to sustainable enterprise development rather than isolated contracts.

Who will finance projects emerging from the Defence Futures Lab, and will participants gain access to government contracts?

Financing will depend on the nature and maturity of each project. Early-stage research may require grants or sponsored development. A pilot needs an identified budget and an institution willing to evaluate the outcome, while businesses seeking to scale may require private investment. Infrastructure projects need their own assessment of costs, revenue prospects, and risks.

The Lab can help participants develop credible proposals and connect with relevant institutions or potential funders. However, funding is available only when the responsible parties have made and documented the necessary commitments.

Participation in the Lab or the summit does not guarantee government contracts. Procurement and operational decisions remain with authorised institutions and must follow applicable procedures.

That distinction is important for investor confidence. Businesses need to know that opportunities will be assessed on technical merit, institutional need, commercial viability, and transparent processes. Any commercial interest connected to a proposed venture must also be disclosed and appropriately governed.

Why are the creative industries being included in a defence-focused initiative?

The creative industries have practical applications in training, simulation, design, documentation, and public communication. Animation studios and game developers can contribute to learning tools, while filmmakers can document experiences and preserve institutional history.

There is also a public-interest dimension. Citizens should have a better understanding of the responsibilities and experiences of the people who serve the country. Our The Shield and the Republic documentary project is part of the effort to preserve memory and deepen public understanding.

These projects must be undertaken with appropriate permissions, factual accuracy, and respect for the people involved. For creative businesses, the opportunity is to produce work with commercial and social value. For defence institutions, collaboration can improve learning, preserve knowledge, and support informed public engagement.

How will the Defence Futures Lab help veterans and military families participate in Nigeria’s technology economy?

Military service develops transferable skills in engineering, communications, logistics, planning, and leadership. The challenge is to create practical pathways through which veterans can apply those skills in civilian employment or entrepreneurship.

We want to connect skills assessment with additional training, mentorship, employers, customers, and potential funders. Training becomes more valuable when participants can apply what they have learned to paid work or a viable business.

Military families should also be part of the programme. Digital skills opportunities for women and girls in military communities, access to devices, and viable agrifood or other enterprise pathways can help strengthen household livelihoods.

The proposed digital-skills contribution involving SheCode.ai, led by Engr Christiana Onoja, provides a relevant foundation for this aspect of the work. The next step is to connect learning with mentorship and realistic opportunities for employment or enterprise.

We must measure the outcomes. How many participants secure jobs, establish businesses, or gain qualifications that employers value? Those results will tell us whether the programmes are making a meaningful difference.

What are the Defence Futures Lab’s immediate priorities following the October summit?

The current participation agenda is organised around five areas: secure digital systems, industry and mobility, reliable energy, skills and livelihoods, and creative industries and storytelling.

These priorities are intended to attract relevant expertise and encourage collaboration around practical problems. Technology companies may contribute secure software and communications solutions; manufacturers and engineering firms may support components and maintenance; and energy businesses may explore power and storage systems.

Creative enterprises can contribute simulation tools, animation, and other digital products, while training providers and employers can help veterans and military family members develop marketable skills.

The next step is to assess expressions of interest, identify relevant partners, and determine what each proposed project requires to progress. Ideas, research contributions, technical expertise, and creative portfolios can provide a starting point; participants do not necessarily need a finished product to initiate a discussion.

The agenda can evolve as national needs, technology, and partnerships change. What matters is that proposals are assessed carefully and translated into work with clear objectives and responsibilities.

How will you measure progress, and what should Nigerians expect over the next 90 days?

The immediate responsibility is to validate the summit’s outcome record with the institutions and partners involved. Each agreed item needs a clear owner, a defined objective, the resources and approvals required, and a next deliverable.

The published review calendar identifies November 14 for confirming project ownership, baselines, and decisions; December 14 for examining development evidence, costs, and corrective actions; and January 13, 2027, for assessing progress across adopted pathways and identifying decisions for the next phase.

The January milestone covers the wider programme, including technology, industry, talent, and welfare. Individual projects will continue to follow their own authorised schedules.

We should be able to explain what has progressed, what remains unresolved, and what should be discontinued. Not every proposal will necessarily prove viable, and the ability to recognise that early is part of responsible programme management.

Evidence-based reviews are essential if the initiative is to develop into a durable programme rather than a series of events.

How can international partners contribute without undermining Nigeria’s defence sovereignty?

International partners can provide technical expertise, research collaboration, investment, mentorship, and access to wider markets. The important consideration is whether each partnership strengthens Nigeria’s ability to understand, operate, maintain, and improve the capability involved.

We should ask specific questions before entering such arrangements. What knowledge will be transferred? Which skills will Nigerian teams acquire? What local supplier relationships can be developed? How will data, intellectual property, and long-term maintenance responsibilities be handled?

These considerations are not barriers to international cooperation. They help make partnerships more valuable to both sides.

Nigeria can learn from other countries while developing the capacity to make informed decisions about systems important to its security. Our objective is to ensure that collaboration strengthens domestic capability and supports clearly defined national priorities.

That is the thinking behind the phrase “Challenges to Capability”: matching a challenge with a solution that becomes a useful capability, while shifting the national conversation towards what Nigerians can build and achieve.

What is your long-term vision for the Defence Futures Lab and Kryterion?

I want to help build institutions and enterprises that increase what Nigeria can do for itself. My experience in the military, government, technology, and the creative economy has shown me that national strength depends not only on resources, but also on the institutions and systems that enable people to use their abilities productively.

Through Kryterion, I want to help turn national priorities into programmes and ventures that can deliver sustained value. Through the Defence Futures Lab, the objective is to bring people together to anticipate future needs, develop local solutions, and create pathways for those solutions to be tested and adopted.

This thinking also informs Power Beyond Force, which I anchor. It considers how nations protect, persuade, produce, and project power. A country’s strength is reflected in what its people can build and in the institutions that allow their abilities to flourish.

If this work helps a Nigerian company solve a real problem, enables a veteran to establish a productive civilian career, or helps a military family secure a reliable livelihood, it will have created value beyond the immediate defence requirement.

Ultimately, I want to help establish systems that endure and enable Nigeria to turn more of its challenges into capability.