The National Enterprise Corporation (NEC) has partnered with a Chinese firm to manufacture car supplies, with a project to produce 1.5 million filters and 3,000 vehicles annually in Mbale city.
In a launch that took place at the Sino Uganda Industrial Park in Mbale city on Wednesday, January 31, 2024, NEC and Wattu China opened a branch in Mbale city to manufacture automotive supply systems and automobile filters. The collaboration, branded NEC-Watu, seeks to transform Uganda’s automotive industry.
During the inauguration, the State Minister for Defence, Jacob Oboth Oboth credited the achievement to Uganda’s strengthening collaboration with China.
Minister Oboth and officials from NEC, the business arm of the Ministry of Defence, launched the car and filter factory, a project aimed at establishing automobile supplies in Uganda and across the country in a bid to achieve industrialization, job creation, and ensure that the country attains its development goals. This will reduce the prices of imported vehicles.
Minister Oboth said that the friendship between the two countries has given birth to various innovations.
“In a special way, let me appreciate the growing friendship between Uganda and China. The friendship has given birth to so many market innovations, like the vehicle filters and air cleaners’ factory being launched today, and of course the motor vehicle assembly plant,” he said.
The Managing Director (MD) of NEC, Brig Gen James Mugira, noted that, as NEC, they will ensure the products meet the standards because they have to go to outside markets for export.
“For us at UPDF, we can never compromise on quality. It is on record that whatever we have done, either through the NEC or UPDF engineering brigade, meets the standards. As the leadership of NEC-Wattu, we shall make sure that we meet all the quality standards set by the UNBS,” he noted.
NEC was established in 1989 by an Act of Parliament to serve as a commercial arm of the Ministry of Defence/Uganda People’s Defence Forces and to produce goods and services that are beneficial to the Defence Forces and the general public.
