Message From the Chairman - March

The months highlight was the focus on addressing the strain on Nigeria balance of payment position by the annual import bill of of $1b for automotive parts and components with near disappearing local manufacturing activities. The Nigerian institution for implementing its automotive program, NADDC (National Automotive Design and Development Council),  the National Agency for Science and Engineering infrastructure (NASENI) and CreditCorp (Nigeria Consumer credit agency) promoted skills,  raised awareness, and launched intervention schemes, respectively, to reverse this trend. The three agencies are listed to speak  at WAAS25 to enrich conference discussions with their perspective in strategies for local content development. We look forward to their participation.

Mobility energy transition space received a boost with the launch of two new EV projects in Nigeria and other parts of the region during the month. BYD and NEV electric. We expect that they will register to participate in WAAS 25 for exposure. In addition, information in the public domain suggest that conversion rate of motorists from Petrol to CNG has increased significantly. This makes conversation regarding attendant requirements for related components and parts urgent. WAAS25 has invited stakeholders in the industry including PI-CNG, NNPC Gas limited, and Garages such as Truckmasters Nigeria to speak.

We look forward to a very robust conference especially with the acceptance of Ghana Automotive Centre, Nigeria Federal Inland Revenue Service, AUTOCHECK, ASPMDA, Federal institute of transport technology, NASSIMA, ASPMDA to join us. We expect more acceptance within the next few days. We look forward to welcoming you onsite in May. 

Luqman Mamudu

Automotive Industry Expert and WAAS Conference Chairman