The first batch of vehicles manufactured by Innoson Vehicles, a Nigerian company, has been delivered to the Sierra Leone government. This is a fulfilment of a promise made by the country’s Ministry of Defense to the company during a working visit to the facility. The vehicles were delivered to the country’s Road Transport Corporation and Minister of Internal Affairs Edward Soloku.
According to Osigwe, the Head of Corporate Communications of Innoson Group, the vehicles purchased under the dispensation were for the current administration. He noted that the President of Sierra Leone, Julius Maada Bio, ordered the company to produce vehicles for the country’s armed forces. The order for the production of the vehicles was valued at about 4.7 million Leones.
The first batch of vehicles to be delivered to Sierra Leone from Nigeria arrived at Queen Elizabeth 2 Port in Free Town on Monday. They were handed over to military officers. The people of Sierra Leone have commended the President for following the guidelines of the continental agreement by using an African brand of vehicles for the country’s armed forces.
Several reports in the local media praised the President for using an African brand of vehicles for the country’s armed forces. A blog posted on the Focus News Blog, which is a popular news outlet in Sierra Leone, noted that the President believed that the country’s army officers deserved better. The post also showed a collection of vehicles that were made by Innoson Vehicles. The company, which has been operating in the country for over a decade, was able to penetrate the market due to its ability to produce high-quality vehicles.
Innoson Vehicles is currently one of the few companies in Africa that are capable of producing fully African cars. Francis Ken Samu, a Sierra Leonean, stated that the company is on top of the security situation in the country.
In response to the President’s order, the people of Sierra Leone have praised the country’s leader for maintaining the country’s military colour flag at an unprecedented level. They noted that the use of an African brand of vehicles for the country’s armed forces is a step toward the implementation of the country’s continental trade agreement.
The arrival of the vehicles in Free Town has made Sierra Leone the first West African country to use Innoson products outside of Nigeria. In 2004, the Nigerian Army signed a memorandum of understanding with the Nnewi Auto Plant in order to provide its soldiers with purpose-built vehicles.
Under the memorandum, the army agreed to identify the requirements for the production of armoured fighting vehicles within the central workshop of the country’s armed forces in Kaduna. It also aimed to enhance the capabilities of the country’s soldiers in participating in joint ventures. The export of the vehicles made by Innoson Vehicles was made two years after the president of Nigeria signed the AfCFTA agreement.
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