By Our Correspondent
The Minister of State for Defence, Dr Bello Muhammed Matawalle, has led a Nigerian delegation on a three-day official working visit to the Czech Republic aimed at strengthening defence industrial cooperation between both countries.
The visit is focused on expanding Nigeria’s defence manufacturing capabilities, particularly through technology transfer and the establishment of an ammunition production line for the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON).
Matawalle, who led senior officials of the Ministry of Defence, DICON and the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), attended the Czech Air Force Day/Air Show and Defence Exhibition in Ostrava, where modern and heavy defence equipment manufactured by the Czech defence industry was showcased.
On the sidelines of the exhibition, the minister held a strategic bilateral meeting with his Czech counterpart, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the Czech Republic, Lt. Gen. Jaromír Zuna (Rtd).
Discussions at the meeting centred on strengthening the existing strategic partnership between Nigeria and the Czech Republic and expanding cooperation aimed at improving DICON’s capacity to manufacture military hardware.
Matawalle specifically called for Czech support in establishing an ammunition production line in Nigeria as part of efforts to strengthen the country’s domestic defence industrial base.
The two ministers also discussed the transfer of technology to Nigeria, particularly in the production of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and other military hardware.
Matawalle stressed the importance of technology transfer and industrial cooperation in building Nigeria’s capacity to produce critical defence equipment locally.
Responding, the Czech Minister of Defence expressed his satisfaction with the Nigerian delegation’s visit and assured Matawalle of the Czech Republic’s willingness to collaborate with and support Nigeria in strengthening DICON’s defence production capabilities.
The Czech minister also indicated readiness to facilitate the requisite transfer of technology as part of the proposed cooperation.
As part of the three-day visit, Matawalle is scheduled to tour several defence and security industrial complexes across the Czech Republic to explore opportunities for further cooperation and technological collaboration.
The visit is part of ongoing efforts by the Nigerian government to deepen international defence partnerships while strengthening domestic capacity for the production of military hardware and other defence-related equipment.
The statement was signed by Queeneth Iheoma-Hart, Chief Information Officer, Information and Public Relations, Ministry of Defence.
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