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Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | A selected team of Uganda People’s Defense Forces-UPDF officers are set to benefit from training in handling big machines and engineering skills by 22 officers from the Japanese Self-Defense Forces.
The Japanese Ambassador to Uganda, Kazuaki Kameda launched the three month’s training at the Uganda Rapid Deployment Capability Center-URDCC in Jinja district on Monday.
The training is part of the triangular partnership project-TPP for rapid deployment of enabling capabilities.
The TPP project is a United Nations initiative formed in 2015 with an aim strengthening the capabilities of peace support troop contributing countries.
The initiative comprises five countries namely Japan, Israel, Brazil, Switzerland, and Uganda who share both training skills and equipment in preparation of successful peace support operations.
Kameda says Japan has extended aid worth US$ 70 million to different African countries with the aim of purchasing heavy road machinery and offering training skills.
He disclosed that over 192 Japanese instructors have trained 300 engineers from the different peace support contributing countries and believes that such training will boost the UPDF capability.
Kameda further says that Uganda is the largest peace support troop contributing country in East Africa and needs engineering training so as to standout as an all round force in tackling emergencies.
Maj. Gen. Silver Kayemba, the UPDF’s military Attaché at Uganda’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations, said Uganda has resolved to offer soldiers for peace support missions without a caveat.
He said in so doing, the force can freely contribute to other community needs like road construction in war ravaged areas in pursuit of stability without consulting UPDF.
Kayemba argues that peace support operations involve very many preparation activities like setting up a camp and access roads among others, which warrants a well-trained engineering department to handle such tasks.
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