News in Brief

New Printworks for Uganda

The official launch ceremony for a new security document printing facility has taken place in Entebbe in Uganda. It will be owned and operated by the Uganda Security Printing Company (USPC), which was set up in 2018 as a joint venture between the state-owned Uganda Printing and Publishing Corporation (UPPC), which owns 51%, and Veridos, the German provider of integrated identity solutions, which owns 49%.

USPC will focus first on the production of ID cards and e-passports and the supporting data systems, with drivers licenses, birth and death certificates to follow. Future opportunities include land titles, vaccination and health certificates, and academic credentials.

Long-term, the printworks may also be used to produce currency, subject to a feasibility study on its viability. According to government officials, this and the domestic production of other security documents will reduce the outflow of foreign exchange reserves and create employment.