A plant of the Russian truck producer Kamaz will be opened in Senegal soon, Foreign Minister of Senegal Yassine Fall said at a joint press conference with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow late last month.
“Various Russian investors contribute to development of Africa,” she said. “The Kamaz plant will also be situated in the territory of Senegal in the near future,” she noted.
Earlier, in July 26, 2023, at a meeting with the head of Russia’s Tatarstan region, then-Senegalese President Macky Sall stated that his country has a huge demand for cooperation with the Russian automaker.
Kamaz, which stands for “Kama Automobile Plant” in Russian, is a Russian manufacturer of trucks, buses, and engines headquartered in the Republic of Tatarstan.
Founded in 1969, the company is mostly known for its cab-over trucks. Kamaz is the largest truck producer in Russia and the post-Soviet space, producing over 53,000 trucks a year.
Back in April 2022, Heads and representatives of the largest companies of the republic, including KAMAZ, visited Senegal as part of a representative delegation led by the Head of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov. Prospects for strengthening cooperation in the field of mechanical engineering and other areas were discussed.
One of the main points of the business program was participation in the forum “Tatarstan – Senegal”. Welcoming the participants, Rustam Minnikhanov spoke about Tatarstan’s interest in cooperation with Senegal. “We arrived in Senegal with the aim of expanding trade and economic cooperation, establishing new business contacts. We believe that Tatarstan has great prospects in working with Senegal in the field of mechanical engineering, petrochemistry, agriculture, and innovative industries”, the head of the republic said.
Representatives of KAMAZ, who spoke about the wide opportunities of KAMAZ in the production of trucks and readiness for the development of partnership, continued the topic of prospects for cooperation with Senegal in the field of mechanical engineering.
Senegal is one of the important export markets for KAMAZ. 167 KAMAZ vehicles have been delivered to the country. Mainly among the delivered trucks are KAMAZ-5460 truck tractors for container transportation from the port of Dakar. In addition, in 2021, training of Senegalese drivers and mechanics was organized at the customer’s premises and at the KAMAZ training center in Naberezhnye Chelny.
The automaker also produces the Kamaz Typhoon MRAP vehicle since 2014—personnel carriers protected from shelling and landmine explosions. The MRAP has a 6×6 all-wheel drive, independent hydropneumatic suspensions on all wheels, and bulletproof tires with an air inflation system.
Russia has already offered the vehicle to African militaries who wants to upgrade their legacy armoured vehicles.
Typhoon-VDV belongs to the large Typhoon-K MRAP vehicles family, which, as Military Africa reported in 2020, is particularly aimed at the African customers.
Protection is provided by combined armor made of ceramics and steel, as well as 13 cm thick bulletproof glass. The passenger compartment of the vehicle can accommodate up to 16 people. The Typhoon is equipped with an eight-cylinder KAMAZ-740 diesel engine or a six-cylinder YaMZ-536, both developing 450 hp. The gearbox is a six-speed automatic Allison.
Kamaz trucks are already actively used in the Senegalese military, supplied under an agreement signed in 2019 at the first Russia-Africa summit.
Kamaz vehicles have also been supplied to countries such as Libya, Egypt, Kenya, Uganda, South Africa, Mali, Ghana, Togo, and Angola over the years.
Despite increased sanctions pressure from the West, Kamaz continues to work with partners in Africa, the company said in a statement in 2023 when it participated in the Second Russia-Africa Summit.
The company is interested not only in supplying trucks and spare parts but also in organizing a support service network. Kamaz specialists are ready to provide technical assistance and collaborate to create the necessary infrastructure for servicing trucks, the statement read.
Meanwhile, China’s prominent defense company Norinco, has also inaugurating a new office in the capital city of Senegal, Dakar.
China’s prominent defense enterprise, Norinco, has made a significant move by inaugurating a new office in the capital city of Senegal, Dakar.