..:: AUTO REPORT AFRICA ::..
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Aliko Dangote needs no introduction in the manufacturing world, especially in Nigeria, as Africa’s richest man is always a big player in any sector he decides to invest in. From cement to sugar, salt and food industries, Dangote is an undisputed leader and his footprints are feasible everywhere not only in Nigeria but across the African continent.
Now, Dangote has fully moved into the automobile sector, moving from mass patronage of locally-assembled trucks into actual vehicle assembling and manufacturing. Apart from his acquisition of Peugeot from PAN Nigeria in Kaduna, leading to the formation of his Dangote Peugeot Automobile Nigeria, his recently – commissioned Dangote Sinotruk assembly plant in Lagos is a testimony to the determination of the industrialist and serial investor to play big in the auto sector.
While the Lagos assembly facility itself is massive, the calibre of state officials present at the commissioning was simply unprecedented as the leadership of the country’s National Assembly practically moved into Lagos for the ceremony thus making a statement that he’s into the business for the long haul.
An avid believer in the prospects and potential in Africa, Dangote promised to work towards achieving 60 percent local content in the operation of the truck cabin assembly plant within the shortest possible time. The employment opportunities to be provided are equally tangible with the attendant contributions to the national economy.
The development is another indication of the huge potential in the country’s auto sector if fully developed and given all the necessary support by the government. The National Assembly leadership present at the commissioning should not just see the ceremony as just another ‘’jamboree’’ but a stimulus to impress on President Bola Tinubu to pass the Nigeria Automotive Policy Bill that has been pending with stakeholders anxiously waiting for the presidential assent .
The Nigerian president who was in Pretoria, South Africa recently for the inauguration of President Cyril Ramaphosa for a second term of five years should be informed that the auto sector plays a very important role in South Africa’s economy because of good and conducive auto policy put in place by the South African Government over the years which Ramaphosa has also demonstrated the willingness to improve upon in the last five years of his first term.
If the Nigerian president could expressly facilitate the passing of the National Anthem Bill and signed it into law within the shortest time possible, one wonders why the Automotive Policy Bill, despite its immense benefits, should still be kept waiting in the file for assent. A year has already passed into his four-year tenure and stakeholders are still waiting . How long the sector would continue to wait for the Automotive Bill to be passed into law remains unclear. Unfortunately, and sadly too, the body language of President Tinubu and his close advisers, presently, is not showing any indication along that line. He needs to prove us wrong, of course, by doing the needful as soon as possible to really demonstrate his commitment.
