At the Entebbe Air Base, Hon. Vincent Bamulangaki Ssempijja, Minister of Defence and Veterans Affairs, yesterday 22nd March 2023, signaled the start of the export of military consignments to the Republic of Equatorial Guinea. 5,400 cartons of uniforms and accessories for the armed forces made by Southern Range Nyanza Ltd (Nytil), in Jinja, Uganda, were part of the shipment.
His Excellency, the president of Uganda, who was supposed to flag off the consignment, was represented by Hon. Ssempijja.
The Republic of Equatorial Guinea was commended by Yoweri Museveni for choosing to do business with Uganda. Hon. Ssempijja thanked His Excellency Obiang Nguema Mangue, Vice President of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, in particular for leading this strategic initiative on behalf of His Excellency the President to connect the friendly countries in the areas of commerce and investment.
Uganda and Equatorial Guinea have been cooperating in a variety of areas, including the defense and security industries, according to Minister Ssempijja.
“The cooperation’s scope had been widened to include trade, which would generate more income for the socioeconomic advancement and mutual benefit of all Africans,” Hon Ssempijja said.
Hon. Ssempijja urged other businesses to follow Nytil Textile’s lead in utilizing local and international market opportunities in order to help the nation as a whole create a robust economy.
Speaking on behalf of the general manager, Mr. Vinay Kumar, Nytil’s Corporate Affairs Director, Mr. Richard Mubiru, noted that this was the first time in the company’s history that Equatorial Guinea was receiving Ugandan military uniforms within the African Continental Free Trade Area.
The government of Uganda has supported programs like the Buy Uganda Build Uganda (BUBU) Policy and reservations to stimulate investment and trade, and Nytil attributes this success to the President of Uganda’s dedication to expanding the manufacturing sector, according to Mr. Mubiru.
