By Theodore Opara

Chairman of the Automotive Local Components Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, ALCMAN, Chief Anselm Ilekuba, has called on the Federal Government to strengthen policies that promote local content and deepen collaboration with indigenous manufacturers as part of efforts to transform Nigeria into a leading automotive manufacturing hub in Africa.

Speaking at the 3rd Nigeria Auto Industry Summit, NAISU 2026, organised by the Nigeria Auto Journalists Association, NAJA, in collaboration with the National Automotive Design and Development Council, NADDC, in Lagos, Ilekuba said the future of Nigeria’s automotive industry depends on building a robust local component manufacturing base rather than relying heavily on imported vehicle parts.

The summit, held at the Radisson Hotel, Lagos, was themed “Nigeria’s Clean Mobility Future: The EV and CNG Journey Under the President Bola Tinubu Administration.”

The ALCMAN chairman who was represented at occasion by the General Manager of Cedric Autos, Mr Eze Igwe commended NAJA for sustaining a platform that promotes dialogue, knowledge sharing and collaboration among stakeholders in the nation’s automotive industry.

He described this year’s theme as timely, noting that Nigeria faces a critical decision on whether to develop a self-sustaining automotive sector capable of driving industrialisation, creating jobs and boosting economic growth.

“There can be no truly sustainable automotive industry without a strong local component manufacturing base,” he said.

According to him, local content should be viewed not merely as an industrial policy objective but as the foundation of a resilient automotive ecosystem capable of competing globally.

He stressed that every vehicle assembled in Nigeria should, as much as possible, reflect Nigerian engineering expertise, innovation and enterprise through the increased use of locally manufactured components.

Ilekuba maintained that indigenous component manufacturers possess the capacity and commitment to support vehicle assembly and strengthen Nigeria’s automotive value chain but require an enabling business environment to thrive.

He identified consistent government policies, affordable financing, improved infrastructure, technical skills development, quality standards, research and development, and expanded market opportunities as critical factors needed to encourage local manufacturers to invest and grow.

The ALCMAN chairman also urged policymakers to shift attention from vehicle assembly alone to the level of local value addition in the industry.

He said the country’s automotive transformation should be measured by the number of components produced locally, the number of Nigerians employed and trained, the amount of foreign exchange saved, and the extent to which local companies are integrated into global automotive supply chains.

Ilekuba called on the Federal Government and relevant agencies to deepen partnerships with component manufacturers while fostering stronger linkages between local producers, vehicle assemblers, Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), fleet operators and other key industry players.

He further advocated full implementation of the Nigerian First policy, saying indigenous manufacturers should be given fair opportunities to supply automotive components wherever local production capacity exists.

According to him, Nigeria’s automotive industry has enormous potential to become a major driver of economic diversification through job creation, technological innovation, skills development and foreign exchange conservation.

He, however, noted that achieving these goals would require coordinated efforts by the government, manufacturers, assemblers, dealers, financiers, academic institutions, development partners and the media.

Ilekuba reaffirmed ALCMAN’s commitment to working with the Federal Government, NAJA and other stakeholders to build a globally competitive automotive industry anchored on local content and Nigerian expertise.

He expressed optimism that with sustained collaboration, Made-in-Nigeria automotive components would become the preferred choice both locally and internationally, positioning the country as a major automotive manufacturing destination on the African continent.