Exhibitions and fairs must expand employment opportunities through stronger collaboration among manufacturers, government institutions, and investors, the Director-General of the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), Oluwemimo Osanipin, has said.

Osanipin explained that the NADDC and BKG Exhibition Limited Motor Fair, scheduled to be held in Abuja, would provide a platform for manufacturers, assemblers, component producers, and technology companies to showcase their products, establish business partnerships, and explore opportunities across the automotive value chain.

He said Nigeria’s automotive development must extend beyond vehicle assembly to include local production of components, spare parts and other essential inputs, alongside investment in research, technical skills and emerging mobility technologies.

He said the country has the human capital and market potential to build a competitive automotive industry that supports industrialisation, conserves foreign exchange, and generates employment.

The NADDC chief identified electric mobility, compressed natural gas (CNG), battery technology, digital manufacturing and intelligent vehicle systems as areas offering opportunities for Nigerian businesses and technical professionals.

He added that the council would continue to support technical training and capacity development to equip young Nigerians with the skills required for automotive maintenance, CNG conversion and emerging mobility technologies.
Osanipin urged industry participants to use the fair to establish technical partnerships, facilitate knowledge transfer and develop local solutions suited to Nigeria’s transportation needs.

Also speaking, BKG Exhibitions Limited representative William Agwu called on automobile manufacturers, assemblers, component producers, financial institutions, and state governments to participate actively in the exhibition.

Agwu said the event should be more than a vehicle exhibition, describing it as a marketplace where businesses could meet prospective customers, engage policymakers, and identify investment opportunities.

He urged automobile companies operating in Nigeria to use the fair to demonstrate their production capacity and commitment to the domestic market, warning that businesses that stayed away risked losing visibility and commercial opportunities.

He also appealed to state governments to showcase investment opportunities for assembly plants, component factories, CNG conversion facilities, charging stations, logistics hubs and technical training centres.

According to him, state participation could help connect investors with available land, local talent, infrastructure and industrial development plans.

Agwu said the automotive industry offered opportunities to develop interconnected businesses in steel, rubber, glass, plastics, batteries, electronics, tyres, vehicle financing, insurance, logistics and after-sales services.

He argued that expanding these activities would enable Nigeria to create jobs and retain more economic value locally rather than depend predominantly on imported finished products.

The BKG representative said the fair’s economic benefits extended beyond the automotive industry to temporary employment, hospitality, aviation, transportation, and other services supporting the event.

He explained that participating companies often engaged temporary workers, including students and young people, to assist with exhibition activities. At the same time, hotels, airlines and transport operators benefited from the movement of exhibitors and visitors.