Motorcycle assembers must prioritize mass investment in local content, says NADDC DG

The direct-general of the National Automotive Design & Development Council (NADDC), Joseph Oluwemimo Osanipin has declared that, to truluy unlock the sector’s potential and ensure its enduring growth, a paradigm shift towards local components production is not just desirable but essential.

Osanipin made the declaration during the Annual General Meeting (AGM) and election of new excos of the Motorcycle Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN) key stakeholders in the country’s motorcycle and 3-wheeler industry.

The NADDC stated that, the theme of address, “Local Components Production as the Key to Sustainable Growth of Nigeria’s Motorcycle and 3-Wheeler Auto Industry,” resonates deeply with the core mandate of the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC).

According to him, this is not just a topic for discussion; it is a call to action, a roadmap for the future of this vital sector.
The motorcycle and 3-wheeler industry he pointed, out occupies a unique and crucial position within Nigeria’s transportation ecosystem.

It provides affordable mobility for millions of Nigerians, facilitating trade, commerce, and access to essential services, particularly in areas where conventional transportation is limited the sector’s significant contribution to our national economy is deeply acknowledged.

However, the current structure of the industry, characterized by a heavy reliance on imported components, presents a significant challenge to its long-term sustainability and resilience.

This dependence he regretted exposes the industry to vulnerabilities such as foreign exchange fluctuations, supply chain disruptions, and a lack of indigenous technological development.

Achieiving the above mentioned milestones the NADDC pointed out that increasing local content in the manufacturing of motorcycles and 3-wheelers will catalyze a chain reaction of positive outcomes.

In his keynote address, the director-general of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Segun Ajayi-Kadir described the gathering as both a statutory engagement and a strategic forum that represents the voice, vision, and vtality of a subsector that is critical to Nigeria’s industrial growth and mobility ecosystem.

The MAN DG extolled the various moves by the NADDC to move the automotive industry forward and commitment to the development of Nigeria’s auto sector within the past 18 months he assumed office as the director-general.

“Since you assumed office,
we have witnessed renewed energy in policy conversations and programmatic interventions aimed at repositioning the industry. We commend your valuable contributions thus far”.

Segun Ajayi-Kadir also reiterated the urgent need for a more inclusive and supportive Nigerian Automotive Policy; one that not only champions local content and indigenous brands but also intentionally includes all sub-sectors of the automotive value chain, including motorcycles and tricycles.

These segments are pivotal to
transportation, employment generation, and value addition in Nigeria. He insists that, the motorcycle and tricycle sub-sector has proven to be not only resilient, but remarkably pivotal in
closing Nigeria’s mobility gaps, urban and rural alike.

MOMAN’s ingenuity powers first- and last-mile transport, generates employment, and enhances access to goods and services nationwide, adding that under the leadership of Olusegun Adekoya as Chairman, MOMAN has deepened its voice
in national industrial discourse.

He commended efforts in sustaining production, ceating jobs, and navigating the regulatory and infrastructural hurdles that continue to challenge our operating environment.

He called on the entire industry sector players to embrace the evolving demands of the time shaped shaped global sustainability trends, rapid digitalization, and the growing imperative for local content development.

“As we move forward, let us not merely react to the future; let us shape it. I charge the incoming executives to seize this opportunity to reimagine the future of motorcycle manufacturing in Nigeria by prioritizing innovation, deepening sectoral and subsectoral collaboration, and amplifying your collective voice within
MAN and across national platforms”.

He charged the incoming exco to not only engage policy stakeholders but also to drive strategic investments, build local capacity, and open up new frontiers for growth in the vital subsector.

“MAN stands firmly with you in advocating for policy reforms that encourage component localization, protect domestic assembly from the pressures of unchecked imports, and create an ecosystem where indigenous manufacturers can thrive”.

We will continue to engage government agencies like the NADDC to push for a fairer, more enabling policy and regulatory environment. He appreciated the contributions the guest speaker Mr. Robert Ugbaja, Esq., Chairman of the Motor Vehicle and Miscellaneous Assembly Sectoral Group of MAN, for his unwavering leadership, guidance, and consistent advocacy whoe role he noted has helped shape policy conversations and foster
collaboration across the sector.

Taking stock of Nigeria’s automotive sector over the decades, Robert Ugbaja said, there is still a lot to be done by the federal government to give the auto sector its pride of place as one of the key drivers and contributor to the national economy.

In his vote of thanks, Rev Lambert Ekewuba, Executive Director of Motorcycle Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN).

While thanking all dignitaries at the event,
Lambert listed a number of key issues he had observed over the affecting the 2 and 3 wheeler market.

One, there are many brief case importers who masquerade as Motorcycle Manufacturers but do not have the interest of developing the industry, their interest is just the immediate profit they make from the sales of motorcycles.

Two. there are no strong advocacy from the association because the CEOs of the member companies are not showing much interest in the activities of MOMAN like attending meetings and lack of co-operation from every one to make MOMAN a better Association.

Three, lack a strong voice for Motorcycles and Tricycles industry in Nigeria.

MIKE OCHONMA
Editor