Army, PTDF Explore Partnership on Drone Technology, Digital Skills, Security

Army, PTDF Explore Partnership on Drone Technology, Digital Skills, Security

The Nigerian Army and the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) are exploring a stronger partnership in drone technology, digital skills development and the protection of strategic national assets.

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Waidi Shaibu, disclosed this on Friday when he led a delegation of senior Army officers on a courtesy visit to the headquarters of the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) in Abuja.

Shaibu said the Army was seeking to strengthen local technological capacity, particularly in unmanned aerial systems, to enhance its response to terrorism, insurgency and banditry.

He commended PTDF for its longstanding contribution to human capacity development and requested specialised training for Army personnel in drone technology.

According to him, the initiative would help build a pool of skilled personnel capable of developing indigenous unmanned aerial systems and reduce the Army’s reliance on foreign military training.

“This will help us establish indigenous companies for the development of unmanned aerial systems and reduce reliance on foreign military training,” the COAS said.

He also acknowledged PTDF’s continued support for Command Secondary Schools and expressed the Army’s readiness to deepen collaboration in personnel development and technological advancement.

The Executive Secretary of PTDF, Prof. Shuaibu Shehu Aliyu, commended the Nigerian Army for its sacrifices in protecting the country’s territorial integrity.

Aliyu highlighted ongoing collaboration between PTDF and the Nigerian Defence Academy under the Fund’s In-Country Scholarship Scheme.

He also pledged to establish a modern information and communications technology centre for digital skills training at the proposed Command Science Secondary School in Kaduna.

The PTDF boss further called for stronger security cooperation with the Army to protect the Fund’s strategic national assets and regional centres of excellence in Kaduna and Afam.

He advocated a formal security framework between both institutions to facilitate rapid emergency response and safeguard staff, students and infrastructure.

The proposed collaboration is expected to strengthen the link between military operational requirements, local technological expertise and specialised human capacity development.