African Automotive Journalists Association (AAAJ) formation announced in Kigali, Rwanda

A group of African motoring journalists from.Africa with many years of experience in the global reportage of events in the automotive sector on Thursday, April 24, 2025 in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda formed a platform referred to as the Association Of Africa’s Automotive Journalists (AAAJ).

Speaking at the historic event which coincided with the new launch of new Volkswagen models and test-drive by over 25 motoring journalists from various African countries including Nigeria, Kenya, Zambia, Mauritius, Ivory Coast, Tanzania, Madagascar, Zimbabwe, Ghana and Malawi, Mike Ochonma, immediate past formwr vice chairman and later two-term Chairman of the Nigeria Auto Journalists Association (NAJA) from 2019-2025, the initiator and brain-box behind the new group stated, that AAAJ is the outcome of series of discussions especially among the journalists that have been covering the automotive in the past years and subsequent Auto stakeholders engagements across Africa especially the Sub-Sahara Africa (SSA).

Other executive members of the new AAAJ are Trevor Lamenya (Kenyan), Vice President, Fact Jeke (Zimbabwean) Secretary General, while veteran Moses Akaigwe of Nigeria and Richard Wiley of South Africa are to serve as Advisers, other positions will be announced in due course.

Mike Ochonma disclosed in Kigali that, the vision of AAAJ is to be the leading platform for automotive journalists in Africa, working tirelessly towards promoting excellence in automotive reporting and storytelling of the emerging African automotive industry.

He added that, the mission of AAAJ is to provide a forum for automotive journalists to share knowledge, best practices, and resources, enhancing the quality and credibility of automotive reporting in Africa.

Among the aims of AAAJ is to promote professional development and capacity building among automotive editors and journalists in Africa, to foster collaboration and networking among automotive editors, journalists, and industry stakeholders and to advocate for accurate, unbiased, and informative automotive reporting in Africa.

Its objectives is to organize regular training workshops, conferences, and seminars for the automotive journalists and editors among them, to create a platform for sharing news, features, and analysis on the African automotive industry, to develop and promote industry standards and guidelines for automotive reporting in Africa as well as recognize and reward excellence in automotive reporting through annual awards and recognition programs when necessary.
The President said that AAAJ will complement the effort of the
Association of African Automotive Manufacturers (AAAM) as a leading organization focused on industrializing Africa’s automotive sector.

Established in November 2015, AAAM works closely with governments to develop policies that attract investment and drive industrialization across the continent with the key objectives promoting Industrialization.
AAAM also aims to drive Africa’s automotive industry growth and development, regional value chains, develop regional value chains for manufacturing and supplying components.
AAAM ollaborates on auto and allied industry nclusivity, foster partnerships and inclusivity across the continent.

In their separate congratulatory messages, Martina Biene, Chairperson and Managing Director of Volkswagen Group Africa and Victoria Backhaus-Jerling, CEO of AAAM congratulated the AAAJ. The duo promised to offer every necessary support to the leadership and members of AAAJ and urged them to propagate and publicise the African auto industry narrative from well informed perspective.

AAAM’s efforts aim to position Africa as a key player in the global automotive industry, leveraging the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and regional value chains to drive growth.