Terra Industries, a Nigerian startup, is growing fast in drone technology and is now ranked among Africa’s leading tech companies. The firm will deploy drones and more than 35 surveillance towers to boost security for a local power company and the mining sector.
The drones use autonomous navigation and real-time monitoring to protect infrastructure in industries such as energy and mining.
Chief executive Nathan Nwachuku, 22, described the project as essential. “The plants, the location of which was not shared, have been used as hideouts by bandits and even some terrorists,” he said. “Aerial surveillance allows us to cover areas that ground teams cannot.”
Nwachuku explained that Terra was built to address Africa’s most significant barriers to growth. “To industrialise Africa, we must deal with three issues: security, energy and food production. That is why we began building autonomous systems.”
Terra can produce up to 1,000 drones and towers a year, but currently manufactures in the high hundreds each month. Despite limited resources, the company has scaled quickly. It has raised less than $1m in funding but generated $1.9m in revenue in only 11 months, exporting to eight countries.
The firm now operates in Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Kenya, Congo and other markets. Its focus is protecting critical infrastructure, including power plants, lithium mines, gold mines and refineries. Terra says it is safeguarding assets valued at $11bn.
The power sector is its fastest-growing market, with four plants and several substations already under protection. The company plans to expand into telecoms next. Over the coming years, it aims to secure assets worth $1 trillion across Africa, including power, mining and oil facilities.
