SafeSky Innovations unveiled AI-enhanced drones for land mine detection on April 11, 2026. The system combines geophysics and machine learning to scan Nigeria's North East conflict zones.
Dr. Chinedu Okoro founded SafeSky in Lagos. His team targets Borno and Yobe states scarred by Boko Haram insurgency. SafeSky secured a NGN 500 million ($300,000 USD) grant from NITDA last month. Lagos Angels led a matching $300,000 USD equity seed round at $1.8 million pre-money valuation, competitive for Nigeria's early AI hardware startups, per Partech Africa 2025 benchmarks. Funds split as 40% prototypes, 30% tests, 20% hiring, 10% compliance.
North East Conflict Legacy
Land mines kill or injure over 100 people yearly in Nigeria, per UN Mine Action Service 2025 report. North East states hold over 200,000 suspected hazardous areas. Manual demining endangers workers and costs NGN 100 billion total.
Okoro saw this firsthand during 2024 Maiduguri volunteer efforts. "Farmers shun fields, starving entire communities," Okoro said. SafeSky partners with Nigerian Army for secure field access.
Initial scans covered 50 hectares near Damaturu on April 10. AI-enhanced drones flagged 87 potential mines at 92% accuracy, according to SafeSky's verified logs.
How AI-Enhanced Drones and Geophysics Work
SafeSky's drones mount ground-penetrating radar (GPR) sensors from GeoScan Tech. GPR pulses penetrate soil up to five meters. Signals bounce differently off metal or plastic explosives.
Machine learning models process data in real time. SafeSky trained them on 10,000 African minefield images from GICHD datasets. NVIDIA Jetson Orin modules, at $500 USD each, enable 30 frames-per-second inference despite connectivity gaps.
Pilots operate at 20 meters over rugged terrain. AI generates heatmap overlays to flag anomalies. Ground teams confirm hits safely from afar.
Drones slash costs 70% below manual methods, SafeSky reports. One sortie matches 20 deminers' weekly output. NITDA quotes manual demining at NGN 2 million ($1,200 USD) per hectare; drones target NGN 600,000.
Nigeria's AI Security Tech Surge
Nigeria drives African security tech innovation. Lagos' SentinelAI raised $5 million USD from Ventures Platform in 2025 for border surveillance drones. South Africa's Aerobotics repurposes agritech drones for Angola mine detection at 85% accuracy.
Kenya's Zipline excels in medical deliveries but navigates KNCA drone rules akin to Nigeria's NCAA. SafeSky customizes geophysics for Nigeria's red laterite and Yobe sandy soils, using 2025 NITDA datasets.
Global humanitarian demining market reaches $2 billion USD, per MarketsandMarkets 2026 forecast. Africa's segment grows 12% yearly amid Sahel conflicts. SafeSky pitches UK aid donors next week.
Lagos Angels' Tunde Adebayo says: "SafeSky scales Nigerian AI to life-saving problems." He led the seed. Nigerian Army contracts could hit NGN 5 billion ($3 million USD).
Nigeria Tech Ecosystem Challenges
Borno's power outages average 20 hours daily, per World Bank 2025 data. SafeSky counters with 500W JinkoSolar panels at NGN 150,000 each, despite naira devaluation hiking import costs.
Yobe's 4G speeds dip below 5 Mbps, forcing edge AI processing. NITDA greenlit flights under 2026 drone regulations on April 5. NCAA mandates geofencing near settlements.
SafeSky draws talent from Andela Lagos and AltSchool Abuja. The 15-engineer team (half women) codes in Python, TensorFlow, and PyTorch amid Nigeria's 50,000 AI specialist shortage, per Google 2025.
Drones withstand 40°C heat and Sahel dust storms. Batteries deliver 45 minutes flight time, recharging in two hours via solar.
Expansion Roadmap
SafeSky aims for 10-drone fleets by Q4 2026. Plans extend to Cameroon and Chad borders. UNMAS partnerships target 1,000 hectares cleared by 2027.
Okoro plans exports to 15 mine-affected African nations. Revenue blends government contracts and NGO grants at 40% gross margins post-scale.
AI demining unlocks farmland for food security. Nigeria's 2026 Digital Economy Plan elevates it under Pillar 3. Yobe pilots unlocked two tons of maize, per cooperatives and Maxar imagery, lifting farmer incomes by NGN 1 million.
Nigeria positions as AI security hub. SafeSky files sensor-AI patents today. Global players like Boston Dynamics watch closely.
Investor Outlook
Nigerian startups raised $1.2 billion USD across 300 deals in 2025, per Briter Bridges. Security tech claimed 8% ($96 million). SafeSky's grant-equity mix de-risks hardware, attracting TLcom Capital.
Okoro sums up: "AI-enhanced drones clear paths for Africa's future, one scan at a time." This tech rebuilds Nigeria from conflict scars.
