GAC Motors Plans To Establish A Vehicle Assembly Plant In Lagos

Guangzhou Automobile Group (GAC Motors) will be visiting Lagos State to study the viability of establishing a Vehicle Assembly Plant.

The development followed Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s visit to the Chinese automobile firm’s headquarters in Guangzhou, where the Lagos helmsman held a business meeting with GAC’s management team.

The Governor, who is on a working visit to China, inspected the automobile manufacturing company’s factories, research and development centres as well as its training facilities.

Moved by the huge jobs potential of a similar facility in Lagos, Sanwo-Olu advised the company to consider building an assembly plant in Lagos.

He said: “I am excited at what I have seen in the course of my tour of your facility and I can assure you that there is a huge market for auto brands in Lagos State. We have a population of over 22 million people, and Lagos is the most prosperous city in Africa, with our economy ranking as the 7th largest in Africa.

“On the government side, I think now is the right time for you to come to Lagos because we will support you. There is a free trade zone you can locate your factories and Lagos has a pool of highly talented and innovative people that can provide a steady workforce supply for your operations in our State.”

Sanwo-Olu said his administration’s commitment to business innovation and process review was acknowledged by the World Bank as major drivers of Nigeria’s 15 places upward movement in the Ease of Doing Business Index.

GAC Group chairman Mr. Zeng Qihong, at a meeting, said the Group was considering expanding its business in international markets.

He said: “With the Governor’s invitation, we are quite confident and encouraged that coming to Lagos would be exciting. We will look into the process of establishing an operation base in Lagos after our international business department has visited to carry out a visibility study of the market. We are optimistic about coming to Lagos because of the market size and the significance of the economy to Africa.”



Lagos State Governor, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu presenting the business case for GAC Motors Group to locate a factory in Lagos to the management of the company in Guangzhou, China yesterday.

At the meeting were top management members of GAC Motors, including the President of the company, Mr. Feng Xingya, General Director Zhang Yuesai, Director for International Business Mr. Yu Jun and Regional Sales Director for African Region Kamel Zheng.

It is anticipated that GAC Motors operations in Lagos will contribute to the development of the State’s economy and encourage technology transfer between China and Lagos.

GAC Group is ranked 189 on the list of Fortune 500 companies. The company’s total revenue for 2018 was $53bn and profit $10bn. In 2018, the GAC brand passenger car exports accounted for 70% of China’s passenger car exports to Nigeria. It has a national brand store and service centre in Nigeria, and recently completed its first SKD factory in the country.

Check Out These Nigerian Made Boats That Lagos Govt Wants To Buy- PHOTOS

Lagos State government has assured local boat builders of patronage, not only to strengthen the economy but to enhance interest in water transportation and decongest the roads in line with the vision of making water transportation one of the best alternatives to road travel.

The Managing Director, Lagos State Ferry Services (LAGFERRY), Mr. Abdoulbaq Ladi-Balogun gave the assurance during an inspection tour of two major boat factories, V-Craft and Sierra Craft, in Lagos State on Monday.

He affirmed the government's commitment to efficient water transportation system, saying LAGFERRY has been mandated to identify and patronise local builders who have the capacity to build and adhere strictly to international standard practises.

READ: Lagos Ferry To Start Operations In November - See What The Ferries Look Like

“We want to build an eco-system and ensure everybody is carried along in achieving the multi-modal transportation initiative of the present administration to decongest the roads, so any manufacturer that meets our criteria will be patronised. We want to encourage local investors, particularly those that have an interest in water transportation to patronise the manufacturers of these boats”, he stated.

While disclosing the State government's intention to roll out commercial ferry services in the next couple of weeks, Ladi-Balogun assured Lagosians of a new experience in water transportation driven by the latest technology and built on safety, reliability, efficient services, comfort and value for money.

Responding, the Managing Director, Sierra Craft, Mr Olusegun Jaji expressed delight at the interest of the State government in developing local water transportation, especially with assurances to local builders that they would enjoy government patronage, expressing his delight at this administration’s commitment to improving and increasing water transportation.

He asserted his company's capability of producing and delivering world-class boats of international standard as required by the State government, maintaining that industry players are also ready to key into the vision of the present administration to improve water transportation as a means of decongesting the heavy traffic situation on Lagos roads.

Check Out Innoson Industrial Complex Nnewi, Anambra State Where Cars Are Made (Photos)

Most times, we don't appreciate what entrepreneurs go through before making a product to be a global icon and such can be said of Innoson Motors located in the city of Anambra. Innoson has been in the news lately ever since the company presented Mercy, the winner of BBNaija her SUV, many have criticized the design of the SUV, to many defending them and logo topic, rebranding among others.

In response to the critics, the automaker reminded those criticizing the company that Rome was not built in a day. According to the company...

“Rome was not built in a day and the biggest room in the world is the room for improvement. Innoson Vehicles will continue to grow steadily, closing the gap little by little, improving on its vehicles and services till it becomes one of the greatest exports from Nigeria”.

"Any careful observer that has been monitoring Innoson Vehicles from the very inception will observe that there has been a tremendous improvement."
"We ensure we get feedback from the users of IVM in order to know their views on their IVM experience and with this feedbacks we seek better ways to improve on the tastes and preferences of our customers to suit the environment."

A visit to the company, however, shows the behind the scene of work that goes on daily from the mega factory. Innoson has built its brand from scratch and gradually, its attracting Nigerian customers, one of its latest customer is Shell (Read the story here).

Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Co. Ltd., shortened as IVM, is a Nigerian automobile and bus manufacturing company. It was founded by Innocent Chukwuma, and runs a plant in Nnewi in the state of Anambra. Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing is nicknamed Pride Of African Road.

The CEO of Innoson, Mr Chukwuma has said his company has received tremendous support from the Nigerian government. It will be recalled that FRSC in July purchased 75 vehicles for its operations across the country, also state governors from Ekiti, Cross River, Anambra, Enugu, Imo, Abia, Kogi, Gombe and Bauchi State government have all procured various models of Innoson Vehicles to ehance their state security apparatus.

Check out the complex of Innoson Motors complex and some of their finished products that are awaiting delivery to their various clients across the continent of Africa.

Read: Anambra State Government Donates 110 Innoson Vehicles To Security Operatives, Launches Operation Kpochapu 2

Related: Innoson Unveils Its Fire Fighting Truck - Photos

Innoson Motors Delivers 77 New Vehicles To FRSC - Exclusive Images

Photos Credit:
TechPoint, Anambra1stSon, Innoson