Ahead of the West Africa Automotive Show (WAAS) beginning today, Exhibition Manager at BtoB Events, the organisers of WAAS, Georgina Lloyd, in this interview with BENJAMIN ALADE, shares insights on the programme and its high expectations.
What is the focus of this year’s event?
This year’s show will highlight a range of innovations as well as build better awareness and consensus of strategies to help Nigeria grow its automotive components and parts manufacturing industry. A free-to-attend two-day conference running alongside the exhibition will discuss topics such as the regulatory framework, investment and capital sourcing, as well as building a skilled workforce and stabilising the parts supply chain.
How does the show intend to support the local manufacturing of components in Nigeria?
With Nigeria spending an estimated ₦14 trillion (US$10 billion) yearly on vehicle parts importation, part of the remit for WAAS is to help build the domestic industry. The event is an opportunity to shine the spotlight on local success stories, boosts workforce knowledge and skill sets, while also helping to shape national policy.
In addition to exploring opportunities to build Nigeria’s automotive parts industry being discussed in the conference programme, WAAS will promote Nigeria’s automotive industry with 24 local businesses spotlighted in the exhibition. WAAS also brings in international expertise via global companies and we know our overseas exhibitors are keen to work with and find business partners in Nigerian entrepreneurs.
It’s the only opportunity to access so many key decision makers across the West African automotive industry under one roof. WAAS connects suppliers, dealers, and manufacturers, creating an unparalleled networking environment exclusively tailored for the West Africa automotive industry, including auto parts and solutions.
There challenges bedevilling the automotive sector in Nigeria. What remedy will the conference provide?
The second WAAS Conference will run on May 14th to 15th. The Conference programme last year highlighted Nigeria’s huge investment opportunities to senior executives from global OEMs (original equipment manufacturers). This year’s conference will build on this theme in relation to components and parts manufacturing with an eye on how to up skill and develop the local workforce and create the right regulatory environment to benefit all sectors in the industry as well as the public.
There will be insight into establishing an automotive manufacturing plant in West Africa in a presentation by Sam Faleye, the Chairman & CEO of SAGLEV INC, one of two co-founders of the Delaware, USA Incorporated Electric Vehicle Company. The company is focused on accelerating the conversion of fossil fuel vehicles to zero-emission vehicles in emerging markets by partnering with rideshare and fleet operators and has bases in Nigeria and Ghana.
The Conference programme has been organised under the chairmanship of Luqman Mamudu, Principal Partner/CEO at Transtech and formerly the Director of Policy and Planning Department and briefly Acting Director-General of the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC).
What should participants expect?
A key attraction for our 4,500 visitors is the range and quality of international exhibitors. We have pavilions for Egypt and India, and increased representation from China. Other sizable delegations are coming from as far as the USA, Japan, Europe, Brazil, Australia, Pakistan and the Middle East.
The exhibition will also be an opportunity to gain practical, hands-on experience. In addition to seminars and displays from exhibitors, Automedics Africa is running two training sessions on vehicle repair and maintenance on May 16th.
Is there any participation from government agencies for the show?
Yes. A number of government and international agencies are participating. From Nigeria, we have been endorsed by the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), and have the support of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and the Ministry of Trade.
We are proud to have Reuben Bamidele, the National Programme Officer at the Regional Office of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) giving a presentation. There will also be a talk on the regional strategy for components manufacturing by the Ghana Automotive Development Centre, among many others.
