NADDC deepens strategic engagement with China to boost local vehicle production

The National Automotive Design and development (NADDC), Director-General, Otunba Oluwemimo Joseph Osanipin has held a strategic engagement with a Chinese company, Jiangling Motors Group Co. Ltd. in Nanchang, China, in a bid to foster the development of the Nigerian Automotive Industry,

Speaking during a meeting with the company’s leadership in China, the Director-General of NADDC, Otunba Oluwemimo Joseph Osanipin, reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to supporting local vehicle assembly and automotive industrialisation in Nigeria.

Osanipin emphasised that Nigeria remains committed to creating an enabling environment for vehicle assembly, technology transfer, local content development and sustainable industrial growth.

According to a statement by the council, the DG noted that strategic international collaborations remain critical to positioning Nigeria as a competitive automotive manufacturing hub in Africa while strengthening investor confidence in the country’s automotive sector.

The statement explained that, as the government agency responsible for the development and regulation of Nigeria’s automotive sector, NADDC’s presence at the engagement demonstrated the Federal Government’s strong institutional backing for credible Nigerian assemblers and long-term automotive investments in the country.

Furthermore, the statement said the DG also witnessed the signing of a collaboration agreement between Jiangling Motors Group Co. Ltd. and Nigerian assembler, Cedric Masters Limited, led by its CEO, Chief Anslem Ilekuba.

“The meeting, which involved Nigerian automotive stakeholders and senior officials of the Chinese automotive company, focused on expanding opportunities for local assembly, technology transfer, component localisation and industrial capacity development within Nigeria’s automotive sector.

“Discussions at the meeting further explored future opportunities in component localisation, skills development and electric vehicle technology, reinforcing the shared commitment towards sustainable automotive industrial development in Nigeria,” the statement noted.