Saif Mohamed al-Hadjeri, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Tawazun Holding, said that the Algerian-Emirati partnership is based on the principle of industrial complementarity between the two countries”, strengthening that the joint commission “NIMR Algeria” was “a project concluded among others.”

Saif said about the technical characteristics of the vehicle “NIMR” that since 2002, the vehicle “went through several stages and obtained a certificate of quality from many international centers.”

Colonel Abdelghani Badaoui, Chairman of the Company “NIMR-Algeria" Board of directors, stressed that “the creation of an Algerian-Emirati joint company to build the vehicle NIMR in Algeria with Algerian labor force will allow the creation of 400 to 500 jobs.”

The joint venture will see the new company produce UAE-designed armoured vehicles in Algeria under licence from Nimr, a subsidiary of Tawazun.

The agreement also allows Tawazun easier access to the African defence market, opening up new commercial opportunities for the fast-growing strategic manufacturer, it said in a statement.

The newly created company will initially target producing more than 200 4x4 armoured vehicles after its set-up is complete.

The Nimr team in the UAE will work with its Algerian counterparts on human capability training and development to build up the skills of the over 300 Algerian work force.

The JV will eventually produce several major components in Algeria while certain UAE-made components needed to assemble the cars will be supplied to it by Nimr Automotive.

Saif Al Hajeri, CEO of Tawazun Holding, said: "As the defence manufacturing industry becomes increasingly competitive globally, it is vital for manufacturers to seek out new ways of expanding their business.

"Being able to export home-grown technological know-how into another market within a short space of time is a big achievement for Nimr, and we are highly confident that this JV will complement the excellent reputation that the UAE-based operation is developing with defense product buyers and users in the region and beyond."

The JV will produce two variations of Nimr 4x4 vehicles to meet the requirements of the Algerian market over the next 15 years for a demand forecast of 2,500 cars, with the aim to potentially supply other customers in the region.

Major General Rachid Chouaki, director of the DFM, added: "Working with Tawazun, we are confident that together we can build and train a work force which is capable of equipping our army and defense personnel with top-of-the-line armored Nimr vehicles fit for the region's harsh terrain."