‘FG Not Patronising Made-in-Nigeria Vehicles Due To Inadequate After-sales Services’

The federal government has said the lack of robust after-sale services was the reason many government agencies were not buying Nigeria-assembled vehicles despite the Executive Order 5 mandating them to give preference to automobiles produced in the country.

Minister of industry,trade and investment Dr Doris Uzoka-Anite, disclosed this during a meeting with the African Association of Automotive Manufacturers (AAAM) yesterday in Abuja.

The meeting also had  representatives from various stakeholders in the automotive industry including NAMA, MOMAN, G.M Motors, Anammco, Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Ltd, and other key players in the country’s automotive sector present and centered on discussions about the future of Nigeria’s automotive sector with AAAM.

Dr. Uzoka-Anite praised indigenous automobile assemblers for their contributions to the economy but urged them to prioritise after-sale support to remain competitive.

She said government would patronise only auto assemblers with robust after-sale service, emphasising its importance in increasing the preference for locally- assembled vehicles by government agencies.

Director- general of the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), in his welcome address emphasised that NAIDP 2023 aims to align local policies with AfCTA to enable the industry to compete favourably on a continental and global level, promoting sustainability and environmental responsibility through incentives for Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Electric-Powered vehicles.