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*FRSC, SON, others lead EV, CNG safe adoption campaign
The National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC) has intensified efforts to secure fiscal incentives for Nigeria’s automotive industry, as industry operators called for a comprehensive policy framework to accelerate local electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing, assembly and adoption.
The renewed push followed a courtesy visit by the Director-General of NADDC, Joseph Osanipin, to the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, in Abuja.
The meeting focused on fiscal incentives and strategic collaboration needed to drive the development of Nigeria’s automotive industry, with particular emphasis on green mobility, sustainable industrial growth and local component manufacturing.
During the engagement, Osanipin reaffirmed the council’s commitment to working closely with the ministry and other stakeholders to establish an enabling environment for innovation, technical excellence and value addition across the automotive ecosystem.
According to him, collaboration with the ministry was critical to making Nigeria competitive in the global automotive industry.
He noted that with the right fiscal incentives and effective implementation, the automotive sector could generate thousands of jobs, reduce dependence on vehicle imports and position Nigeria as a leading automotive production hub in West Africa.
Industry stakeholders, in an interview with The Guardian, said the initiative aligned with growing calls for the government to move beyond policy declarations and introduce practical measures to stimulate investment in local EV manufacturing and assembly.
An associate professor of marketing and transport services researcher at Keele University, United Kingdom, Dr Emmanuel Mogaji, said the government must recognise EV manufacturing as a strategic industrial priority and incorporate it into a clear national industrial policy.
According to him, supportive policies such as tax relief, import duty waivers on EV components, low-interest financing and grants are essential to encourage investment in local assembly and manufacturing.
He added that such financial incentives should be complemented by programmes that attract both indigenous entrepreneurs and global automotive manufacturers to establish production facilities in Nigeria.
Mogaji also stressed the importance of setting measurable targets and regularly monitoring progress to ensure policy objectives are achieved.
He further urged the government to maintain transparent and consistent communication with manufacturers, investors, consumers, and other stakeholders, saying that confidence in Nigeria’s transition to electric mobility would largely depend on policy clarity and consistent implementation.
Also, the Deputy Managing Director of RT Briscoe and Chairman of the Automobile and Allied Services Group of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Dr Femi Eguaikhide, said Nigeria required a comprehensive roadmap covering financing, infrastructure, industrial policy and skills development to develop the sector.
He called for the expansion of vehicle financing through initiatives such as CreditCorp, alongside dedicated consumer credit schemes for EV buyers and tax incentives for fleet operators adopting electric vehicles.
On trade policy, Eguaikhide advocated stricter controls on imported used vehicles, including higher tariffs on second-hand vehicles and used EVs with degraded batteries, while recommending a gradual phase-out of internal combustion engine vehicles over the next five to 10 years to encourage local manufacturing.
He also urged the government to partner with private-sector operators to establish a national EV charging network along major highways and to develop battery recycling and local battery manufacturing capabilities to lower vehicle ownership costs.
According to him, local component manufacturers should have access to single-digit-interest loans to expand production capacity, while the government should stimulate demand by converting public-sector fleets, public transportation systems, and ride-hailing vehicles to electric mobility.
He added that introducing EV-focused curricula in technical institutions would equip young Nigerians with the skills required to maintain and service electric vehicles as the market expands.
Meanwhile, regulators and stakeholders would converge on Lagos, July 30, for the third Nigeria Auto Journalists Association (NAJA) Auto Summit to discuss strategies for ensuring the safe and sustainable adoption of electric and compressed natural gas (CNG)-powered vehicles.
The summit is scheduled to hold in Lagos with the theme: ‘Nigeria’s Clean Mobility Future: The EV and CNG Journey under the Bola Tinubu Administration’.
Leading discussions at the event would be the Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Shehu Mohammed; the Director-General of the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), Joseph Osanipin; the Director-General of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Dr Ifeanyi Chukwunonso Okeke and the Controller-General of the Federal Fire Service, Olumode Adeyemi.
The summit is expected to bring together policymakers, automotive manufacturers, energy experts, investors, transport operators and regulators to review Nigeria’s progress in clean mobility and identify measures needed to accelerate the transition to alternative-fuel vehicles.
A major highlight of the event will be the presentation by FRSC Corps Marshal Mohammed, who is expected to outline a comprehensive safety framework for deploying EVs and CNG-powered vehicles nationwide.
His presentation would focus on vehicle certification, roadworthiness standards, emergency response procedures, accident prevention, technical capacity development and public awareness, all considered critical to the safe integration of alternative-fuel vehicles into Nigeria’s transport system.
NADDC Director-General Osanipin would deliver a keynote address on the future of Nigeria’s automotive industry under the Federal Government’s clean mobility agenda, with emphasis on policy direction, local vehicle manufacturing and industrial opportunities arising from the transition to cleaner transportation.
