Senior official in Nigeria: Giant deal taking shape with IAI in the satellite sector

The central Nigerian satellite company NIGCOMSAT will purchase two communications satellites from Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and the Italian-French group Thales as part of two deals whose total value is estimated to potentially reach about $2 billion. The new deal unfolding for IAI from the African continent was revealed by the CEO of Nigeria's satellite company, Jane Egerton-Idehen, in a post on her LinkedIn profile. According to her, the purchase and placement of the satellites in space were approved by the Federal Executive Council of Nigeria, by virtue of its investment in "our digital sovereignty."

Nigeria did not specify the exact scope of the deal on the table, with each of the two companies selling advanced communications satellites in the coming years, the price of each being several hundred million dollars. According to reports, IAI will manufacture the NigComSat-2A satellite intended for launch in 2028, and Thales will supply the NigComSat-2B satellite intended for launch in 2029. The satellite that IAI will supply is intended to replace the current communications satellite used by Nigeria, NigComSat-1R, which is approaching the end of its operational life.

NIGCOMSAT operates from Abuja and has been responsible for managing Nigeria's communications satellite program for the past two decades. According to the CEO, "the approval we received is a milestone, and delivery is the mission." She added that the planned deployment of the satellites will increase the ability to expand broadband connectivity, support vital sectors in the economy, and position Nigeria as a more significant player in the digital economy and the emerging space economy in Africa.

Israel Aerospace Industries did not provide a response to the reports regarding the upcoming deal. IAI manufactured the Amos series of communications satellites at its space plant, and last summer successfully launched the "Dror 1" communications satellite created for use by government ministries. The need for this order increased due to the crisis that has affected IAI's communications satellite operations in recent years, following the explosion of the Amos 6 satellite and the decision of the Spacecom company to purchase its next satellite from an American manufacturer.

The deal on the table could significantly improve the certainty of the company's managers, CEO Guy Barlev and Chairman Boaz Levy, regarding the status of the communications satellite sector in the company. In the background, IAI is advancing negotiations with Azerbaijan for a possible deal that includes the supply of a new communications satellite worth nearly $1 billion.

The emerging deal may also be unusual from a geographical perspective. The African continent is not a major consumer of Israeli weapons. In 2025, defense exports from Israel reached an all-time high of over $19 billion, with the share of countries south of the Sahara being about 2%, totaling deals worth about $400 million.