The first Ford car has been rolled out of the Ford Assembly plant in Nigeria. In August this year, Ford in conjunction with Coscharis Motors announced that it would commence the assembly of the Ford Ranger Pickup truck in Nigeria as from the last quarter in 2015.
According to Jeff Nemeth, Ford’s sub-Sahara CEO, “Africa is one of the youngest markets in the world and presents a huge opportunity in terms of consumption.” “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.”
Mr. Cosmas Maduka, President of Coscharis Motors, said: “We have worked hard and moved quickly to turn this dream into a reality. Today marks an important milestone when the cogs in the wheel really start to turn, not only for Ford in Nigeria, but in general for the Nigerian industry, which is receiving a much needed boost towards industrialisation and the development of the automotive industry.
“We are committed to setting the bar high, and establishing world-class, best practices in Nigeria that every other industrialist will have to be judged by. This is a major milestone for us and marks another first in the evolution of our company.”
The auto market in Africa’s biggest economy has huge potential but only a small number of new vehicles are sold annually. The sector is dominated by imported used vehicles and the absence of an industrial policy that would encourage suppliers to set up in Nigeria has stunted growth.
The plant is estimated to produce 10 cars a day for the local market. Ford produces 85,000 vehicles in South Africa each year, which are sold in 24 African countries.
