The Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, on Monday held a high-level meeting with His Excellency Mauro Massoni, the Italian Ambassador to Uganda, and Claudio Sabatino, Vice President for Africa at Leonardo Aircraft Division, to discuss avenues for enhanced bilateral defence and security cooperation between Uganda and Italy.
The meeting took place at the Special Forces Command (SFC) Headquarters in Entebbe and was attended by senior commanders from the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) Air Force. Also present were Giulio Michele Girardelli, Deputy Ambassador of Italy to Uganda, and Romina Grasso, East African Manager for Leonardo Aeronautics.
Discussions focused on strengthening existing defence ties, capacity building, and exploring opportunities in the modernization of Uganda’s air capabilities through collaboration with Italy’s aerospace and defence industries.
Muhoozi commended the Government of Italy for its continued partnership and expressed appreciation for the growing cooperation in defence technology and training. He emphasized Uganda’s commitment to modernizing the UPDF and building a more capable, professional, and technologically advanced force.
Ambassador Massoni reaffirmed Italy’s readiness to support Uganda’s defence modernization agenda and highlighted the importance of continued engagement under the 2020 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on defence cooperation, which has been instrumental in expanding bilateral collaboration in military training, technology transfer, and defence industry partnerships.
Sabatino of Leonardo Aircraft Division reiterated his company’s commitment to working closely with Uganda to identify sustainable solutions in aerospace technology and defence systems that meet the needs of the UPDF.
This engagement underscores Uganda’s ongoing efforts to strengthen international partnerships aimed at improving defence readiness, regional security, and technological innovation within the armed forces.