Nigerian defence technology company Terra Industries has closed its seed funding round at US$52 million as it prepares to expand manufacturing capacity in Africa, including the planned opening of its second production facility in Ghana in the fourth quarter of 2026.
The company announced on 17 August that it had raised an additional US$18 million, with existing investors 8VC, Silent Ventures, Nova Global, Belief Capital and SV Angel participating alongside new investor Norleo Space Investments and angel investor Grant Gordon.
Terra said the funding would be used to expand manufacturing capacity, accelerate deployments and grow its engineering, operations and business development teams. The company is also opening its first international office in London.
Manufacturing will remain in Africa, according to Terra, with its Pax-2 facility in Ghana scheduled to open in Q4 2026. The 34,000 sq ft facility will follow the company’s 15,000 sq ft Pax-1 factory in Abuja, Nigeria.
Terra expects the Ghana facility to reach an annual production capacity of 50,000 units across its aerial systems portfolio by 2028. The company describes Pax-2 as a drone manufacturing facility and says it will become the largest of its kind on the continent once fully operational.
Terra designs and manufactures autonomous systems for land, air and maritime applications. Its portfolio includes long- and medium-range autonomous drones, interceptor drones, sentry towers and unmanned ground vehicles connected through the company’s ArtemisOS software platform.
According to Terra, its systems are already deployed to protect power plants, mines and other critical infrastructure valued at approximately US$11 billion across several African countries. The company has not identified the individual assets or countries covered by that figure in its funding announcement.
The funding announcement was followed on 19 August by the appointment of former SpaceX executive Ben MacWilliams as Terra’s Vice President of Strategy.
MacWilliams previously served as Director of Starlink Market Access at SpaceX, with responsibility for all 54 African markets. Terra said he will lead its market-entry and licensing strategy as well as government partnerships as the company moves into additional markets.
The appointment comes as Terra prepares to increase production and expand the deployment of its autonomous systems beyond its existing operations. The company was founded in 2024 and is positioning its African manufacturing base at the centre of its expansion into other markets across the Global South.
