The chief executive officers of military industries from the East African Community have met in Kampala to consider the progress of operationalization of the defence facilities that are jointly utilised.
They also reviewed the status of implementation of previous decisions and directives of the sectoral council on cooperation in defence.
Speaking at the opening of the meeting at Skyz Hotel, Kampala, the managing director of the National Enterprise Corporation (NEC), Lt Gen James Mugira, reiterated the importance of defence industries, which he said serve as crucial strategic facilities that ensure self-reliance.
“Uganda, as a country, we appreciate the strategic significance of Local defence industries capabilities because countries need such capacity for self-reliance, especially in terms of equipment, to minimise reliance on foreign countries for resupply during wartime. The need for self-reliance by the African Armed Forces because of our history and the changing global environment cannot be overemphasised. You cannot talk of Sovereignty as a country when you depend on products and services from foreign countries for your National defence,” said Lt Gen Mugira.
He observed that defence is a complex and challenging sector due to increasing and sophisticated developments in science and technology.
“As EAC, we need to work together on this. Our countries must conduct joint research and development and utilise science and technology to build a strong industrial base and capabilities to respond to current and future security threats. By so doing, our countries shall be gradually enabled to be somehow independent in science and technology,” he said.
He challenged EAC partner states to utilise the limited resources amongst themselves and whatever services available in the region instead of incurring heavy expenses outsourcing the same services and products from abroad.
The meeting attracted Defence Liaison Officers and chief executive officers of military industrial facilities from Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.
