AFIT’s Kachalla Sets Sights on UAVs, Space-Tech, and Smarter Energy at COREN Assembly

By Ugo Aliogo

At the COREN 29th Engineering Assembly, the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) team lead, Engr. Ibrahim Ali Kachalla, laid out a forceful roadmap for indigenous aerospace and energy capability, one rooted in hands-on training, inter-agency collaboration, and data-driven research.

Speaking on manpower development, Kachalla said AFIT’s programmes have trained thousands of officers and engineers in Nigeria and across West Africa, including Ghana, with an emphasis on control systems, aerospace, and energy applications. Since joining AFIT in 2014, he has supervised and mentored more than 4,000 students, provided departmental leadership, and led COREN accreditation efforts that secured laboratories and computers for teaching and research, while supporting the passage of the AFIT Bill, which conferred on the institute both university and polytechnic status.

On collaboration, Kachalla highlighted AFIT’s coordinated work with the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA), the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), and the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), partnerships he helped drive as AFIT’s desk officer. Outcomes include the development of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) platforms at AFIT’s research centre to bolster the Nigerian Air Force’s surveillance capabilities through sustained engagements with NASENI and NASRDA; an institute-wide energy-audit programme with REA that cut campus consumption by 30%; and REA-supported energy education initiatives aimed at securing renewable-energy solar mini-grids under Nigeria’s 30:30:30 vision, positioning AFIT as a national centre for energy research.
Looking ahead

Kachalla’s near-term agenda comes in three parts:

UAV capability, hands-on — “We intend to strengthen our UAV training and research pipeline at AFIT,” he said, pointing to mission profiles in surveillance and real-time sensing that dovetail with defense needs. His prior work includes an autopilot system for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) featuring autonomous target recognition that deploys novel algorithms he developed.

State-of-the-art simulators — AFIT will “enhance hands-on training with modern simulators and systems workbenches,” to ensure graduates can transition directly to operational platforms.
Energy + space tech integration — “We’re expanding collaboration with the space agencies to deliver real-time solutions for Nigerian spacecraft,” he added, referencing AFIT’s existing NASRDA partnerships on space-systems control and operations.

On regulatory footing, Kachalla noted: “AFIT is COREN-accredited, and we expect COREN soon for another accreditation exercise as we broaden our offerings.” (Kachalla himself is COREN-registered).
Research, Leadership, and the Panel Room
Beyond institutional goals, Kachalla’s own work anchors AFIT’s direction. During a COREN panel, he pressed for tighter academia–industry–government loops: “If we align training with real platforms, UAVs, microgrids, spacecraft subsystems, Nigeria will shorten the path from lab to field,” he said. “That is how we build technical sovereignty: by training hands, not just heads.”

Bottom line: AFIT’s playbook, skills, systems, and strategic partners, continues to shift from aspiration to implementation. From UAVs to smart system controllers, the institute’s deliverables now carry measurable performance metrics and documented mission profiles. As Kachalla puts it: “Security and sustainability aren’t parallel tracks. In our labs and workshops, they’re the same system.”