The Chairman of the Automotive Local Components Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (ALCMAN), Chief Anselm Ilekuba, has called on the Federal Government to strengthen policies that promote local content and deepen collaboration with indigenous manufacturers to position Nigeria as a leading automotive manufacturing hub in Africa.

Ilekuba appealed at the 3rd Nigeria Auto Industry Summit (NAISU) 2026, organised by the Nigeria Auto Journalists Association (NAJA) in Lagos.

The summit, held at the Radisson Hotel, Lagos, was themed “Nigeria’s Clean Mobility Future: The EV and CNG Journey Under the President Bola Tinubu Administration.”

Representing ALCMAN at the event, Ilekuba commended NAJA for sustaining a platform that encourages dialogue, knowledge sharing and collaboration among stakeholders across Nigeria’s automotive industry.

He described the summit’s theme as timely, stating that Nigeria faces a defining moment in deciding whether to build a self-sustaining automotive sector capable of driving industrialisation, creating jobs and supporting long-term economic growth.

“There can be no truly sustainable automotive industry without a strong local component manufacturing base,” he said.

According to Ilekuba, local content should not be viewed merely as an industrial policy objective but as the foundation of a resilient automotive ecosystem capable of competing globally.

He stressed that vehicles assembled in Nigeria should increasingly showcase Nigerian engineering expertise, innovation and enterprise through greater utilisation of locally manufactured automotive components.

The ALCMAN chairman maintained that indigenous component manufacturers possess both the capacity and commitment to support vehicle assembly and strengthen the country’s automotive value chain. However, he noted that they require a more enabling business environment to thrive.

He identified several priority areas needed to stimulate industry growth, including consistent government policies, affordable financing, improved infrastructure, technical skills development, quality standards, research and development, and expanded market opportunities.

Ilekuba also urged policymakers to assess the success of Nigeria’s automotive industry beyond vehicle assembly by focusing on the level of local value addition.

According to him, the country’s automotive transformation should be measured by the number of components produced locally, the number of Nigerians employed and trained, the amount of foreign exchange saved, and the extent to which indigenous companies are integrated into global automotive supply chains.

He further called on the Federal Government and relevant agencies to strengthen partnerships with component manufacturers while fostering stronger collaboration among local producers, vehicle assemblers, Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), fleet operators and other industry stakeholders.

The ALCMAN chairman advocated the full implementation of the Nigerian First policy, arguing that indigenous manufacturers should be given fair opportunities to supply automotive components wherever local production capacity exists.

He said Nigeria’s automotive industry has significant potential to drive economic diversification through employment generation, technological innovation, skills development and foreign exchange conservation.

However, Ilekuba emphasised that achieving these objectives would require coordinated efforts involving government, manufacturers, assemblers, dealers, financiers, academic institutions, development partners and the media.

He reaffirmed ALCMAN’s commitment to working with the Federal Government, NAJA and other stakeholders to build a globally competitive automotive industry anchored on local content and Nigerian expertise.

Ilekuba expressed optimism that sustained collaboration would make Made-in-Nigeria automotive components the preferred choice in both domestic and international markets, helping position Nigeria as a leading automotive manufacturing destination in Africa.

Source: New Telegraph