In a quest to boost employment and industrialise Ghana, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has directed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in the country, who wish to buy new cars, to prioritise locally assembled vehicles.
Also included in the directive are all Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs). This is to also encourage investment and help preserve government’s foreign exchange.
The Chief of Staff, Mrs Akosua Frema Opare, who gave the directive in a statement said the Ministry of Trade and Industry would provide information on companies that are assembling vehicles in the country.
“All MDAs, MMDAs and other government establishments are to take note of the policy for compliance,” the Chief of Staff stated.
She further added that the directive to seek approval from her office prior to initiating any process for procurement of vehicles remain in force.
Volkswagen
The directive comes after global automobile giant Volkswagen (VW) started producing vehicles in the country.
Last week, the Minister of Trade and Industry, Alan Kyerematen, paid a working visit to the first phase of VW Ghana Assembly Facility in North Industrial Area, Accra.
The Chief Executive Officer of the company, Jeffrey Oppong Peprah, who accompanied the Minister, indicated that the company had commenced commercial production under a registered local company, VW Ghana, and is currently producing five Volkswagen models in its Accra plant, namely Tiguan, Amarok Pickup, Passat, Polo and Teramont.
Toyota and Nissan
Meanwhile, two other automobile companies, Toyota and Nissan, have also signed agreements with the government to establish vehicle assembly plants in the country.
Toyota is expected to begin by August, while Nissan will start before 2020 ends.
The General Manager of Nissan West Africa, Imad Antoine Ghorayeb, last year, told newsmen that the company had already established its West Africa regional office and begun training sales and after-sales technicians in the sub-region ahead of production.
For his part, Toyota Ghana’s Semi Knocked-Down (SKD) Project Coordinator, Collins Donkor, said the company was in the process of acquiring a building which would be modified to suit the needs of the plant.
Toyota Tsusho Corporation, on August 28, 2019, signed an MoU with the Government of Ghana for the establishment of a Toyota and Suzuki assembly plant in the country on the day the company bought almost five per cent stake in Suzuki.
