The National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC) has called on investors to partner in the development of a proposed Automotive Development Park in Nnewi, as part of renewed efforts to strengthen local vehicle production and reduce Nigeria’s reliance on imports.
Oluwemimo Osanipin, Director-General of the Council, made the call on Tuesday in Abuja while outlining key initiatives under the Nigeria First policy of President Bola Tinubu.
He described the planned Nnewi Automotive Development Park as a strategic intervention designed to address long-standing structural challenges in the country’s automotive sector, particularly high production costs and fragmented operations.
According to Osanipin, the park will provide shared infrastructure and common facilities for manufacturers, enabling investors to establish operations without the heavy capital burden of building independent systems from the ground up.
“We are developing an Automotive Park known as the Nnewi Automotive Development Park, and we’re going to provide the necessary infrastructure so that users of the park will be able to share facilities.
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“They don’t need to have everything on their own before they can set up. We have made significant progress, but we have reached a stage where we need investors to come in and inject more capital so that we can accelerate development,” he said.
He emphasised that strong collaboration between the public and private sectors would be critical to the success of the project, urging financial institutions, manufacturers, and other stakeholders to key into the initiative.
Osanipin noted that the project is expected to transform Nnewi, widely regarded as Nigeria’s automotive hub, into a fully integrated industrial cluster supporting vehicle assembly, components manufacturing, and innovation.
The initiative, he said, could significantly reduce operational inefficiencies in the sector, while boosting competitiveness and local value addition.
He also urged Nigerians to prioritise locally assembled vehicles, noting that increased patronage would drive job creation, skills development, and economic growth.
“The more Nigerians buy locally assembled vehicles, the more we create jobs, develop skills, and grow our economy,” he said.
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In a related development, the NADDC boss disclosed that the Federal Government has approved the procurement of electric vehicles for civil servants, with a directive that the vehicles be sourced from local assemblers.
“The Federal Government has approved the acquisition of electric buses to be used by civil servants, and these vehicles will be sourced from local assemblers here in Nigeria,” he said, adding that charging infrastructure is also being deployed across parts of the country to support adoption.
The move forms part of a broader strategy to position Nigeria within the global transition to cleaner energy and sustainable transport systems.
Osanipin further revealed that the Council is investing in capacity building to support local production of key automotive components such as batteries and tyres, in a bid to reduce import dependence and strengthen domestic supply chains.
“We are providing training for manufacturers and stakeholders on how to begin local production of key components like batteries and tyres. This is critical if we are to reduce imports, create jobs, and improve our Gross Domestic Product,”
To enhance financing for industry players, the NADDC is also collaborating with the Bank of Industry to facilitate access to funds under the National Automotive Development Fund.
In addition, he said the Council is working on a new legislative framework to strengthen its operations and align Nigeria’s automotive policies with global best practices.
Nigeria’s automotive industry has long faced challenges, including weak infrastructure, limited production capacity, and policy inconsistencies, which have slowed progress despite previous reform efforts.
