A group of 18 vehicle component manufacturers from automotive manufacturing countries are in the country for a week-long exploration of Ghana’s automotive eco-system to set up factories in the country.
The group, the fifth of its kind to come to Ghana, was brought by Volkswagen and from Germany, Mexico, South Africa and India among others, looking for opportunities to build plants in Ghana.
Volkswagen Group Communications Director, Andile Dlamini, disclosed this when a delegation from Volkswagen paid a courtesy call on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo at Jubilee House in Accra yesterday.
Led by the Chairman and Managing Director of Volkswagen Group South Africa, Martina Biene, members of the group were in the country to launch an $8 million assembly plant in Tema last Thursday.
With an installed capacity of 5,000 units per year, the new facility will assemble the T-Cross, Tiguan, Amarok and Virtus models from a range of VW vehicles, creating 80 jobs, including local third-party service suppliers.
With the new facility, the country becomes the fourth assembly location for VW vehicles in sub-Saharan Africa, joining the league of South Africa, which hosts the company’s largest assembly plant, with Kenya and Rwanda.
Investors
Dilating on the interests of component manufacturers, Mr. Dlamini said investors have met with assemblers, dealers, government entities and infrastructure managers just to understand what the ecosystem has to offer.
He added that he wants to invest in Ghana, adding that “we support the policies that will be implemented. We believe in Ghana; we believe it is the hub of Africa”.
Showcase
For her part, Ms Martina Biene said that the opening of the facility last Thursday in Tema was to present the next step of the commitment to travel that started in 2018, noting that the factory also marks the automotive journey in Africa.
Wisdom
He described the automotive policy in Ghana as “probably the most advanced and well thought out one that can make Ghana, the center of West Africa’s automotive industry”.
He assured that the company will stay and complete the successful journey with Ghana and make the next bold steps to develop the automotive industry.
President Akufo-Addo said the Automotive Policy is meant to bring clarity to anyone interested in any aspect of the industry in Ghana and expressed joy that the policy continues to have an impact.
He pointed out that the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is a game changer and that is the reason why Ghana ensured that the secretariat was brought to Accra to make the country the commercial center of Africa.
“We want industrialists to take advantage of the AfCFTA and use Ghana as a gateway”, he said, and showed that Ghana is interested in integration, where components will be produced in Ghana as well as upgrade the skills of the workforce using the country’s resources. .
Source: graphic.com.gh
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