Reviewing the Pathway for Indigenous Aerospace Technology Development in Nigeria: From Import to Innovation

Nigeria’s aerospace sector remains essentially vital but regrettably dependent, with 100% of commercial aircraft, 90% of spare parts, and 95% of MRO services all sourced abroad up till first half of 2026, costing over $500M in annual forex outflow. Despite having Africa’s largest aviation market, a 4°N equatorial launch advantage, and growing drone capabilities, Nigeria, unfortunately still lacks a coherent pathway from technology import to indigenous innovation. This paper reviews Nigeria’s aerospace trajectory 1963-2026 and proposes a phased “Import - Imitate - Innovate” pathway to 2045. Using secondary data from NASRDA, NCAA, IATA, NBS 2020-2025, and comparative analysis of Brazil, Turkey, and India, the study applies Technology Readiness Level [TRL] and Porter’s Diamond frameworks. Findings reveal that Nigeria has huge market demand, rich human capital potential, and right policy intent, but faces gaps in policy implementation funding, infrastructure, certification, and skills. The paper recommends a 4-phase pathway to wit: 1. Drone-led industrialization 2026-2030, 2. MRO + Components 2030-2035, 3. Licensed Assembly 2035-2040, and 4. Indigenous Design + Launch 2035-2040. Religious and articulate implementation of these strategies can bring about 3.5% GDP contribution, create about 95,000 jobs, and attract $2.8B forex savings by 2040. Hence the study concludes that industrial policy among others and not necessarily market forces alone, is required to put Nigeria on the pathway from “importer of wings” to “innovator of wings.”