The President/CEO of Ford Motor Company, sub-Saharan Africa,
Jeff Nemeth had said: “Nigeria is a priority market for us in sub-Saharan
Africa. Depending on how Nigeria develops over time, we are
potentially looking
at using our Nigerian plant to service West Africa,” he told Reuters news
agency on Tuesday.
American carmaker, Ford said yesterday that its new assembly
plant in Nigeria had built its first vehicle and would produce an initial 10
units a day for the Nigerian market.
In a statement, Ford’s sub-Sahara chief executive, Jeff
Nemeth said: “The facility will accommodate one shift and will produce an
initial 10 units per day for the Nigerian market, creating approximately 180
direct and indirect jobs.”
Recall that Ford Motor Company in August, 2015 announced
plans to start assembling its best-selling Ford Ranger pickup truck in Nigeria
by October, 2015.
Ford had said that the move was part of its expansion in
Africa and the Middle East. The Nigerian assembly plant which will be in
partnership with the Ford dealer, Coscharis Motors Limited is the first outside
South Africa, where Ford produces the Ranger for 148 markets.
The CEO said that, “The auto market in Nigeria has huge
potential but retails only a small amount of new vehicles annually.”
According to him, “The sector is dominated by imported used
vehicles, while limited financing for consumers to buy new vehicles and the
absence of an industrial policy that would encourage suppliers to set up in
Nigeria have stunted growth.”
The plant located in Ikeja, Lagos will assemble the Ford
Ranger using parts and components imported from South Africa. The plant will
have the capacity to assemble up to 5,000 units annually, which will be sold in
Nigeria.
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