The stage is set for a parley involving Chief Executives/Managing Directors of major auto firms in Nigeria and heads of government agencies regulating the industry, scheduled to hold in Abuja on May 26, 2022.
It is the maiden edition of Auto CEOs Forum being put together by Concerned Auto Editors in conjunction with National Automotive Design and Development Council.
The forum, according to the organisers, will X-ray major issues adversely affecting the operations and slowing down the development of auto industry in the country and proffer workable solutions expected to be jointly executed by these critical stakeholders.
Specifically, the forum will address issues such as the auto policy, local assembly plants and low patronage of locally assembled vehicles, import levies/duties; exchange rate policy as it affect auto business; and vehicle clearing-related problems.
The organisers listed government agencies participating at the forum, apart from the NADDC, as the Nigeria Customs Service, Federal Inland Revenue Service, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Central Bank of Nigeria, Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Ministry of Finance, terminal operators, and Association of Clearing Agents.
Auto companies whose CEOs are featuring in the maiden edition of the event are Toyota Nigeria Limited, Weststar Associates, Innoson Vehicle Manufcaturing, PAN Nigeria, Lanre Shittu Motors, CIG, CFAO, Kia Nigeria, Nord Automobiles, TSS Automobile, Dangote Peugeot Automobile/Sinotruck, Coscharis Motors, CIG Motors, Kewalram Chanrai, Tata Motors, Jet Motor Company (Jet Systems) and Omaa Motors, among others.
The DG NADDC, Jelani Aliyu, says the agency is excited about the Auto CEOs Forum initiative and expressed hope that the parley would provided the needed opportunity to resolve those issues that had set the industry back and enable the stakeholders to forge a new relationship for speedy growth of the auto sector in Nigeria.
The objectives
To create a forum to passionately look at issues adversely affecting effective operation of auto business in Nigeria such port activities hindering importation/clearing of vehicles; assembly plant operational issues; finance, forex exchange and making a case for special rate; patronage issue, etc.
More importantly, the forum is expected to fashion out practical solutions to these problems.
It will also enable auto firms to come together and see the need to collectively find solutions to issues affecting them going forward.
