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adsTerra Industries, an African multi-domain security and data intelligence company, is expanding its critical infrastructure protection business into cybersecurity, leading a $1 million seed investment in Nigerian cybersecurity startup Aeon. The investment marks a strategic extension of Terra’s business beyond the physical protection of infrastructure into the digital systems, networks and data that operate them. Olugbenga Agboola, co-founder and chief executive officer of Flutterwave, also participated through his investment fund, Resilience17, alongside other investors. Read also: No terrorist attack at Asaba airport, ONSA carried out simulation exercise – Police Command Terra and Aeon have subsequently formed a commercial joint venture that will deploy Aeon’s cybersecurity technology across military and commercial operations and jointly pursue government and corporate contracts across Africa and the wider Global South. adsads The partnership creates a combined security proposition in which Terra protects physical assets while Aeon secures the digital infrastructure supporting those assets. For Terra, the move reflects a broader shift in the security needs of critical infrastructure operators. Energy facilities, financial institutions, government systems, transport infrastructure and other strategic assets increasingly depend on interconnected networks, cloud platforms, software and data, making cyber vulnerabilities part of the wider infrastructure risk. “Aeon becoming the sovereign cyber defence layer for the Global South” is Terra’s stated ambition, with the company seeking to have governments, financial institutions, large corporations and militaries run cyber operations on Aeon’s infrastructure. Aeon was founded by Samuel Ogbonyomi, Ben Eluan and Alex Idowu to provide an integrated cyber defence platform for critical industries in Africa and other emerging markets.adsads Its product suite, comprising Aeon Edge and Aeon Console, is designed to secure networks, code, cloud environments and endpoints while monitoring vulnerabilities and enabling remediation from a central platform. Ogbonyomi said the company was built after observing that many operators relied on multiple security tools without a unified view of their exposure. “Attackers move across all of those systems at once,” he said, explaining that Aeon was designed to give organisations a single platform from which they can see and address their wider attack surface. The investment followed a pilot between Terra and Aeon earlier this year, which has now progressed into a commercial partnership. Cybersecurity becomes infrastructure security The deal comes as African organisations face an expanding cyber threat landscape. Terra cited INTERPOL data showing that cyber incidents across Africa have generated more than $3 billion in losses since 2019, with financial services, healthcare, energy and government among the sectors heavily affected. Related News 2027 Election Insights: Fuel subsidy returns to the ballot, where do Nigerians really stand? September Gen Z Pick 2026: What 2024 bought you that 2026 can't? World Bank-backed private financing to Africa surges 150% to $22bn INTERPOL has also reported that cybercrime accounts for more than 30 percent of reported crime in parts of West and East Africa. The increasing digitisation of critical infrastructure is raising the cost of cyber weaknesses. A power grid, financial institution or government platform can remain physically intact while disruption to its software, network or data systems can still interrupt operations. That convergence is central to Terra’s strategy. The company, founded in 2024, currently develops integrated air, land and maritime systems powered by ArtemisOS, its software platform for security operations. Its areas of activity include energy, mineral resources, urban infrastructure, maritime assets, border security and counterterrorism. The Aeon investment therefore gives Terra an additional layer of the infrastructure-security market: the digital systems sitting behind the physical assets it already targets. Read also: Terra Industries closes $2m contracts to secure Nigeria’s lithium mines Building a global South cyber platform The commercial opportunity extends beyond Nigeria. Terra and Aeon intend to jointly execute contracts for governments and corporations across the Global South, potentially positioning Aeon as part of Terra’s wider infrastructure-security offering. For customers, the model could consolidate physical and cyber protection under one commercial relationship rather than treating them as entirely separate security requirements. That is significant as governments and infrastructure operators increasingly deploy connected systems across physical facilities, cloud environments, networks and endpoints. For Aeon, the Terra partnership also provides a route into larger institutional and government markets, while Terra gains a cybersecurity capability that can be incorporated into its existing critical-infrastructure engagements. The companies have not disclosed how the $1 million investment will be allocated or the commercial terms of the joint venture. Terra’s investment signals that cybersecurity is increasingly being treated not simply as an information-technology function but as part of the broader protection of strategic infrastructure. As more African infrastructure becomes software-driven and connected, the boundary between physical security and cyber defence is becoming less distinct. More from our Technology Column Read Next VP Shettima unveils 11-storey Kwara Revenue House By Sikirat Shehu • September 18, 2026 Get Newsletter Updates Enjoying our column? Subscribe to our specialised **Tech Pulse** feed to receive fresh reports and analyses directly in your inbox. 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Royal Ibeh Royal Ibeh is a senior journalist with years of experience reporting on Nigeria’s technology and health sectors. She currently covers the Technology and Health beats for BusinessDay newspaper, where she writes in-depth stories on digital innovation, telecom infrastructure, healthcare systems, and public health policies. Share Join BusinessDay whatsapp Channel, to stay up to date Open In Whatsapp
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