Accra, Ghana, November 6, 2018//-Nissan, a Japanese global automaker today announced its readiness to set up of an assembly plant in Ghana.
This follows the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Ghanaian government and the company, in Accra, Ghana.
According to senior government officials, the assembling plant is expected to complete within nine months. When completed the company would make Ghana its West Africa sales hub.
Nissan is the largest car retailer in Ghana with a 32.8 percent market share. It is therefore going to consolidate the gains of the market when the plant starts operations in some months to come.
The Managing Director of Nissan Group of Africa, Mike Whitfield who signed the MoU on behalf of the company said: “We want to build on our leadership by supporting the government to create the environment for a successful automotive manufacturing industry in the country”.
He continued: “Building vehicles in Ghana will enable us to further improve the products and services we offer to our customers here and will have significant, long-term benefits for the economy in terms of jobs and growth.”
Mr Whitfield also explained that the memorandum seeks to unlock economic potential, promote development of the automotive sector and promote investor-friendly regulatory frameworks that encourage sustainable car manufacturing in the West African country.
The aim is to promote infrastructure development, job creation and skills development in Ghana, Mr Whitfield added.
Ghana’s Minister of Trade and Industry, Alan Kwadwo Kyeremanten who signed on behalf of the government said: “The vision of the government is to diversify the country’s economic and to create jobs for the people. Thus the signing of this MoU fits into this agenda.
Mr Kyeremanten commended Nissan’s commitment to Ghana, saying: “We welcome this MoU and commit ourselves in turn to working with Nissan to create the necessary environment for the level of investment that will make Ghana’s automotive sector a reality.”
German carmaker Volkswagen (VW) and China’s Sinotruk have also signed MoU to set up assembling plants in Ghana.
Industry wide vehicle sales in Ghana have been growing steadily at an annual rate of about 10% and now stand at about 9,150 vehicles a year, according to Nissan’s officials.
By Masahudu Ankiilu Kunateh, African Eye Report
Email: mk68008@gmail.com and info@africaneyereport.com
