Japanese Multinational automobile manufacturing company, Suzuki Motor
Corporation on Tuesday, announced its intention to set up a production facility
in Ghana.
The company, also
intends to make Ghana the hub of its operations in sub-Saharan Africa, Mr
Koichi Suzuki, Suzuki’s General Manager in-charge of Middle East and Africa
disclosed when he called on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo at the
Jubilee House in Accra.
Suzuki said the
company, which joins four other automakers- Volkswagen, Nissan, Renault and
China’s Sinotruck-who have planned the assembly plants for Ghana, intends
siting its distribution and after-sales service centre in the country in
partnership with Compagnie Française de l’Afrique Occidentale (CFAO).
He said the company,
which has over 50 percent shares in the Indian automotive industry, in
collaboration with Toyota Tsusho, the trading arm of the Toyota Group that has
the largest distribution network in Africa, intends to “find a next India on
the African continent”.
Mr Suzuki said with
the Government of Ghana introducing a new automotive policy, “We are highly
interested to participate in the initiative made by the Ghanaian government to
start production here to expand it and to grow it.”
“We firmly believe
that our next growth will come here in Africa,” he stated, adding, “we want to
contribute to the further development of African countries…Our vision is with
Africa and for Africa.”
Suzuki produces
annually 3.3 million affordable but reliable, safe and fuel-efficient vehicles,
with engine capacities less than 1.6litres via its production plant in India
that churns almost half of its global production.
On his part, President
Akufo-Addo was encouraged by the decision of Suzuki to want to put up shop in
Ghana, saying, the development was a welcomed one, as foreign direct
investments into Ghana would spur development and economic growth.
“We are interested in developing a vibrant and dynamic automobile industry in Ghana; we have made several initiatives towards that end and finally, I believe we are now ready to outdoor our automotive policy, which will then let everybody know exactly, people like you if you want to come to Ghana, what is available to you in terms of government support, incentives and the rest of it, and also the obligation that will be on you if you wanted the Ghanaian space”, he said.
Source: GNA