By Bright Ntramah
President Akufo-Addo has assured players in the automobile industry of government determination to support the industry to flourish. He said the government will design innovative policies to ensure the sustainability of the industry.
President Akufo-Addo gave the assurance when he inaugurated the Nissan Assembling Plant in Tema. The President hinted at the establishment of a vehicle financing scheme aimed at supporting the purchase of locally assembled vehicles in Ghana.
He assured the investors that their investment is safe. Bright Ntramah reports that the state-of-the-art modern Assembling plant which has three production lines was constructed at a cost of $9million.
One production line is for the Assembling of Nissan Navara pickups and the other for Peugeot saloon and SUV vehicles. The total production for the year is more than eleven thousand units per shift.
But the Company, Japan motors, intends to produce one thousand eight hundred vehicles in a year. The Managing Director of Nissan Africa, Mike Whitefield said the Tema production plant is the most modern in West Africa.
The Minister of Trade and Industry, Allan Kyeremanteng hinted of the establishment of similar plants by other manufacturers.
President Akufo-Addo said the establishment of vehicle Assembling plants will make Ghana “the new manufacturing hub of Africa and its vision of becoming a leading player in the automobile industry”.
Currently, the importation of motor and transport vehicles constitutes the leading imports into Ghana estimated at one point five billion dollars annually. This trend the government wants to reverse and made Ghana self-reliant in the automobile industry.
He assured investors of the protection of their wealth.
It is expected that vehicle brands like Hyundai, KIA Toyota will soon open an Assembling plant in Ghana.