The Automotive Local Components Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, ALCMAN, has urged the Federal Government to strengthen local content policies and deepen collaboration with indigenous manufacturers to position Nigeria as a leading auto manufacturing hub in Africa.

Chairman of ALCMAN, Chief Anselm Ilekuba, made the call on Thursday at the 3rd Nigeria Auto Industry Summit, NAISU 2026, in Lagos.Represented by the General Manager of Cedric Autos, Mr. Eze Igwe, Ilekuba said Nigeria’s automotive future cannot depend on imported parts.

“There can be no truly sustainable automotive industry without a strong local component manufacturing base,” he said.The summit, organised by the Nigeria Auto Journalists Association, NAJA, in partnership with the National Automotive Design and Development Council, NADDC, was held at the Radisson Hotel, Lagos.

The Theme “Nigeria’s Clean Mobility Future: The EV and CNG Journey Under the President Bola Tinubu Administration.”_Ilekuba described the theme as timely, noting that the country faces a critical choice between building a self-sustaining auto sector or remaining import-dependent.

He said local content must go beyond policy on paper to become the foundation of a resilient auto ecosystem that can compete globally. According to him, every vehicle assembled in Nigeria should reflect Nigerian engineering, innovation and enterprise through increased use of locally made components.

The ALCMAN boss listed consistent policies, affordable financing, infrastructure, skills development, quality standards, and R&D as key to helping local manufacturers thrive.He also called on government to shift focus from vehicle assembly to the level of local value addition. “Nigeria’s automotive transformation should be measured by the number of components produced locally, jobs created, forex saved, and how many local companies are in global supply chains,” he said.

Ilekuba further urged full implementation of the “Nigerian First” policy to give indigenous manufacturers priority in supplying auto parts where local capacity exists.He said the auto sector has huge potential to drive economic diversification through job creation, technology and forex conservation, but only with coordinated action by government, manufacturers, assemblers, banks, academia and the media.

He reaffirmed ALCMAN’s commitment to partner with the Federal Government, NAJA and NADDC to build a globally competitive industry anchored on Nigerian expertise.“We are optimistic that with sustained collaboration, Made-in-Nigeria auto components will become the preferred choice locally and internationally,” he added.

NAISU 2026 brought together CEOs, policymakers, OEMs and fleet operators to discuss Nigeria’s transition to EVs, CNG and local manufacturing under the Tinubu administration._