Nigeria Auto Industry Summit urges local content boost to drive industrialization, job creation, and stronger GDP under the “Nigeria First” agenda

Nigeria Auto Industry Summit has renewed urgent calls for strategic investment in local content development to power the nation’s industrial growth.

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At its second edition in Lagos, themed “Nigeria First: Local Content as Catalyst for Automotive Economy,” the summit gathered government officials, regulators, manufacturers, financiers, and global partners to chart a sustainable path for Nigeria’s automotive future.

NAJA Chairman, Mr. Theodore Opara, set the tone with a powerful message: “If Nigeria must industrialize, the auto sector must lead. If the auto sector must thrive, local content must be the engine.”

He decried the country’s overreliance on imported vehicles and components despite Nigeria’s rich resources and skilled workforce.

Director General of NADDC, Mr. Joseph Osanipin, described local content as a strategic imperative, urging collaboration to tackle challenges like access to finance, power supply, and raw material processing. He highlighted NADDC initiatives on incentives, skills training, and R\&D to support domestic manufacturers.

The FRSC, represented by Assistant Corps Marshal Ann Oladayo, emphasized that localisation must go hand in hand with road safety and environmental standards, while pledging support for ethical and innovative manufacturing.

Delivering the keynote, Victoria Backhaus-Jerling, CEO of the African Association of Automotive Manufacturers (AAAM), stressed that Nigeria’s auto policy must be legally entrenched.

Without it, she warned, the country risks falling behind peers like Morocco, South Africa, and Egypt. “Africa is the world’s last automotive frontier—and Nigeria holds a powerful place in that future,” she said.

Resolutions from the summit included: fast-tracking NAIDP legislation, creating financing models for consumers, enforcing quality control to curb substandard imports, and educating consumers to embrace made-in-Nigeria vehicles.

The event closed with cautious optimism, as stakeholders agreed to compile recommendations into a communiqué for the Presidency, National Assembly, and MDAs.

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“Let us not leave this summit with just communiqués and handshakes. Let us leave with commitments, partnerships, and a shared resolve to make ‘Nigeria First’ not just a slogan—but a strategy for economic transformation,” Opara concluded.