Maxwell Maduka and Nathan Nwachukwu, young Nigerian Innovators in their early 20s, are driving innovation through their Abuja based company, Terra Industries. Nathan, the 22-year-old CEO, overcame losing an eye to self teach coding and launch Klas, an edtech platform with over 700,000 users. Maxwell, 23, a former lead drone engineer in the Nigerian Navy, previously founded Spatial Nova, focusing on micro drones. Their shared Igbo heritage fuels their ambition to showcase African ingenuity in robotics and technology.
In 2023, the innovators co-founded Terra Industries (originally Terrahaptix) in Abuja’s Idu Industrial District, operating Africa’s largest drone factory. The 15,000 square-foot facility produces the Archer VTOL drone, Duma ground drone, and Artemis OS software for AI-powered security, serving industries like energy, mining, and agriculture. Shifting from military to commercial applications, they design in-house components except sensors and cameras delivering end-to-end solutions across nine African countries, protecting $11 billion in assets.
Terra Industries secured over $2 million in orders by 2024, including a $1.2 million contract in 2025 with Nethawk Solutions to deploy AI drones and solar sentry towers at Nigerian hydroelectric plants. With 75% of sales from international clients in nations like Ghana and South Africa, the VC-backed company plans a second West African plant and drone exports to the USA and Europe by late 2024. Featured on CNN and celebrated on X, the brothers are redefining Nigeria’s role in the $40 billion African drone market.
