DEFENCEWEB
The armored vehicle company Streit has opened a new factory in Uganda, built in partnership with the National Enterprise Corp. (NEC).
NEC announced the partnership with Streit Group for the manufacture of armored vehicles in Nakosongola in central Uganda in late 2021. The new company, NEC-Streit Uganda Ltd., was dedicated a year later and will provide a range of security solutions, including through technology transfer.
Parliament established the NEC in 1989 to serve as a commercial arm of the Ministry of Defence and the Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF). It produces goods and services that are beneficial to the Defence Forces and the public.
Ugandan officials said that with local manufacturing, they hope to no longer rely on buying foreign vehicles.
“It’s a full-fledged manufacturing facility, not just assembly,” Streit CEO Guerman Goutorov said. “All the products it will produce you can proudly say: Made in Uganda.” He added that its products will help fight terrorism and crime.
UPDF chief Gen. Wilson Mbadi said the plant would produce vehicles for Uganda’s military, police, VIPs and regional requirements.
“By building a self-reliant defense industry, we are capable of securing Uganda and also support the economy,” he said. “This will also help us tackle the problem of economic irrationality by consuming what we don’t produce and producing what we don’t consume.” He added that it will help the UPDF enhance fire power, protection capabilities and operational efficiency.
Streit has indicated it is willing to offer Uganda other equipment, including unmanned aerial vehicles, armored boats and communications equipment. Goutorov said Streit’s research and development will be shared with Uganda.
In August 2018, Uganda launched an armored vehicle manufacturing and assembly facility in Maga. Its first product was the Nyoka armored personnel carrier, created in collaboration with South Africa’s Twiga Services and Logistics via its Ugandan sister company Impala Services and Logistics.
Streit Group’s product range includes armored personnel carriers, armored trucks for cash transfers, and luxury and security vehicles. The company has 12 production facilities and 25 offices globally and has delivered more than 15,000 vehicles.
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