The Director-General of the National Automotive Design and Development Council, NADDC, Otunba Oluwemimo Joseph Osanipin, on Tuesday, 5th August 2026, moderated a high-level panel at the ECOWAS Regional Automotive Industry Development Forum in Abuja.

The session, held on Day Two of the forum, brought together policymakers, manufacturers, regulators and industry leaders to chart a roadmap for attracting sustainable investment into automotive manufacturing and assembly across West Africa.Speaking under the theme _“Unlocking Investor Commitment to Automotive Manufacturing and Assembly Across the ECOWAS Region,”_ the panel dissected the policy, regulatory and market reforms required to strengthen the region’s automotive value chain.

In his opening remarks, Otunba Osanipin said the sector holds massive potential to drive industrialisation through local manufacturing, component production, technology transfer, job creation and stronger regional value chains.

He, however, flagged major challenges slowing down growth, including heavy dependence on imported vehicles, underutilised assembly plants, fragmented markets, low local sourcing, and policy uncertainty, “To attract long-term investment, we must deliver predictable policies, harmonised regulations, and stronger collaboration between governments, regulators and the private sector,” the NADDC DG stated.

Panelists Weigh In on Regional IntegrationThe panel featured key industry voicesChief Innocent Chukwuma Chairman/CEO,b Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing, IVM Mr. Mohammed Byrouth Plant Manager, Japan Motors Ghana Mr. Adeyemi Folorunsho Representative, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, MAN Prof. George Agyei, Director-General, Ghana Standards Authority Discussions centred on 5 critical areas: improving policy certainty, boosting local component manufacturing, supporting SMEs, promoting regional sourcing, and harmonising automotive standards and vehicle homologation across ECOWAS Member States.

The Panelists agreed that harmonised standards and easier market access are essential to building investor confidence and positioning West Africa as a competitive auto hub.The session ended with a unified call for coordinated regional policies to deepen integration, encourage investment, and transform ECOWAS into a manufacturing powerhouse.

The 3-day ECOWAS Regional Automotive Industry Development Forum continues in Abuja with focus on financing, skills development, and cross-border trade in Auto parts.