The government of Senegal and the company Industrie Sénégal de Véhicules Militaires (ISEVEM) signed a protocol on Thursday for the establishment of a defense industry in the department of Mbacké (Diourbel).
The signing ceremony of the memorandum of understanding was chaired by the Minister of Industry and Commerce in the presence of the Minister of the Armed Forces, General Birame Diop, the Ambassador of the Republic of South Korea in Senegal and of the President of the ISEVEM Company, specialized in the manufacturing of military vehicles.
“The project to install this military vehicle assembly plant is in line with our national ambition, which emphasizes industrialization, strengthening our security and promoting inclusive and sustainable development. sustainable,” declared the Minister of Industry and Commerce.
“This partnership, in addition to guaranteeing increased sovereignty in the field of defense, symbolizes our determination to build an economy capable of meeting the challenges of the future. Our ambition is to create 8 industrial zones and 8 poles, then 14, and 23 others in the 46 departments of Senegal,” added Serigne Gueye Diop.
Speaking during the signing ceremony, Serigne Gueye Diop added that “the creation of an industrial ecosystem in Senegal perfectly embodies the spirit of Senegal 2050, which aspires to build an inclusive, dynamic economy based on the potential of our businesses. local.
By integrating Senegalese subcontractors, this project is not limited to an isolated installation; it becomes a locomotive for many local SMEs and SMIs which will find prospects for growth, modernization and specialization.”
General Birame Diop, Minister of the Armed Forces, for his part, indicated that this protocol constitutes the first milestone in their ambition to build a first efficient defense industry, capable of guaranteeing our national security and our strategic autonomy.
Thus, he stressed that this choice is in line with the orientations of the President of the Republic who has made technological and industrial sovereignty a priority issue. “This Protocol is much more than an industrial project, it is a national-scale project which aligns defense and economic issues. It is about making it a real strategic investment for the future which can strengthen our sovereignty and our attractiveness,” he revealed.
The South Korean Ambassador to Senegal announced the arrival of military cars soon. According to him, this protocol will contribute to the defense of a sovereign Senegal with the creation of jobs for young people in an environment conducive to development in the years to come.
The future industry in question will be established in Mbacké, in the Diourbel region, over an area of 200 m2 for an amount of 35 billion CFA francs.
According to the authorities, the installation of this factory will be done gradually, first as an assembly unit for military equipment with a view to reaching a production of one thousand (1000) vehicles per year.
The defense industry, presented as a tool of sovereignty which fits with the Senegal 2050 framework, appears to be a driver of economic and social development due to the jobs it will have to create, not to mention the new professions linked to the automobile and establishment of new value chains.
Rts
