Innoson Auto Firm Gets Ghana’s Attention

As the Nnewi-based auto plant, Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Company Limited (IVM) products penetrates markets in West African sub-region, the Ghanaian Government has sent a delegation to the company, to see to the possibility of selling up similar auto plant in Ghana.

Led by the Deputy Minister for Transport, Madam Dzifa Aku Attivor, the team toured various sections of the auto plant and briefly watched production.

Attivor, who said they were in Nigeria to explore the possibility of introducing some of Innoson Group’ products to the Ghanaian market, expressed satisfaction with the state of the plant.

Assuring that Ghana has a very friendly business environment which enhances quick return on investments, she enjoined the chairman of Innoson Group, Chief Innocent Chukwuma, to come over to her country. “I want to appeal to him to set up a plant in Ghana and he will have return on his investments, she said, is awaiting Innoson, if it decides to take the offer.

Ironically, the Ghanaian offer is coming at a time when the Nigerian auto makers, including the new Nnewi plant, are as usual going cap-in-hand to the Federal Government, appealing to be keyed into the N10 billion mass transit scheme being packaged by the Urban Development Bank which has already advertised this preference for imported fully built-up vehicles.

Though production at the IVM is yet to gather full momentum, the plant and the vehicles that have so far rolled out the production lines have been attracting attention from the ECOWAS sub-region at markets, Ghana being the latest.

The delegation commended Chief Chukwuma for his foresight and entrepreneurial acumen, which they said, were evident in Nnewi auto plant and his other investments in the manufacturing sector.

Both the Deputy Minister and the Deputy Chairman of Ghana’s ruling party (NDC), Simare Saleh, who was also part of the delegation, harped on the need to do away with the draw backs of the economic co-operation agreements by the ECOWAS sub-regional grouping, to ensure that business transaction boom among the peoples of the member states, as against the present situation where scarce resources are lost to imports from outside the African continent.

“If Innoson vehicles are good, reasonably priced and suitable for West African roads, it would amount to wastage to continue to go far for imports,” Saleh said, after the tour of the auto plant.

The chairman of the Group, Chief Chukwuma also disclosed plans to widen the product mix to accommodate more commercial and purpose-built vehicles including refuse collectors/compactors.

Reacting to the offer by the Ghanaian government, Chukwuma said he would give it a serious thought, after the Nnewi auto marker has stabilised.

“I consider it a big honour and privilege for the government of Ghana to make me such a rare offer. I will think about it. But for now, the important thing is to make sure that there is enough patronage for Innoson vehicles in Nigeria, and that Innoson itself meets the demand of the local market in terms of quality, volume and after sales support that is our major target for now. Of course after that we will be glad to hit Ghana, after studying Ghana market”, he stated.