As part of the weeklong, tailor-made PROPED program, i.e. a project to support economic diplomacy, delegations from Nigeria and Chad visited Czech companies AERO Vodochody, SVOS, ERA, LET Aircraft Industries, Excalibur Army, HTP Mošnov, Tatra Trucks, CZUB, DSA and MESIT. During the IDET 2023 Defence and Security Technology Fair in Brno, they also met with representatives of Bowenite, Sellier&Bellot, PBS and OMNIPOL, among others. In the case of the Nigerian delegation, the visit was a follow-up to the successful negotiations on Nigerian soil and, after a practical demonstration of Czech knowledge and the quality of the products offered, confirmed the interest in deepening cooperation with Czech companies in the defence and security sector. Moreover, the visit opened up new areas of interest in the field of technology. The representatives of Chad were a pleasant surprise as they refreshed the trade relationship between the countries and expressed interest in a wide range of products.

The main items in demand, given the security situation in the aforementioned countries, are equipment and technologies for monitoring national borders both from the ground and from the air, civil and military aircraft including maintenance services, personal armament and equipment, ground equipment and vehicles, training of air and ground forces, drones and related technologies, etc. In all of these fields, Czech producers definitely have something to offer.

Especially the members of the Chadian delegation, who were less familiar with the production of the Czech defence industry, were able to compare the quality offered with previously used French, Russian or Chinese products. After the presentation of Czech solutions, they, together with their colleagues from Nigeria, were impressed by the very high technological level and quality of the presented goods. Therefore, given the interest in ensuring the security of their countries, the involvement of their armed forces in UN missions and the situation in the Sahel, the African doors are opening more than ever for the Czech defence and security sector in this territory. The clearly indicated interest from African partners should be followed by a follow-up visit by Chadian officials for acquisition purposes.

The visit was conducted in a friendly spirit and was another successful manifestation of Czech efforts to deepen relations with prospective countries in the sub-Saharan African region.

Author: Marie Nwanyanwu, Economic Diplomat, Embassy of the Czech Republic in Nigeria