BEATRICE OWOEYE
The Director-General of the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), Otunba Oluwemimo Joseph Osanipin, has led a renewed regional push to attract massive investment into West Africa’s automotive industry, declaring that only coordinated policies and stronger collaboration can unlock the sector’s full economic potential.
Speaking while moderating a high-level panel at the ECOWAS Regional Automotive Industry Development Forum in Abuja on Tuesday, Osanipin brought together top policymakers, regulators and industry leaders to chart a roadmap for transforming ECOWAS into a leading destination for automotive manufacturing and vehicle assembly.
The panel, themed “Unlocking Investor Commitment to Automotive Manufacturing and Assembly Across the ECOWAS Region,” focused on practical measures to boost investor confidence through policy reforms, regulatory harmonisation and a more integrated regional market.
Osanipin described the automotive industry as a powerful engine for industrialisation, capable of accelerating local manufacturing, component production, technology transfer, employment generation and regional value chain development.
He, however, warned that heavy dependence on imported vehicles, underutilised assembly plants, fragmented markets, weak local content and policy inconsistencies continue to discourage investors from committing long-term capital to the region.
According to him, ECOWAS countries must provide predictable policies, harmonise automotive regulations and deepen collaboration between governments and the private sector to create a stable and competitive investment climate.
The panel featured Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing (IVM), Chief Innocent Chukwuma; Plant Manager of Japan Motors Ghana, Mr. Mohammed Byrouth; Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) representative, Mr. Adeyemi Folorunsho; and Director-General of the Ghana Standards Authority, Prof. George Agyei.
Participants identified stronger local component manufacturing, support for small and medium-sized enterprises, regional sourcing, and harmonised vehicle standards and homologation as critical steps toward attracting investors and expanding cross-border automotive trade.
The session ended with a united call for ECOWAS member states to adopt coordinated automotive policies that will stimulate fresh investment, deepen regional integration and position West Africa as a globally competitive automotive manufacturing hub.
©Copyright MOTORING WORLD INTERNATIONAL. All rights reserved. Materials, photographs, illustrations and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior written permission from Motoring World International
Contact: editor@motoringworldng.com
