By Barth Ikiebe.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has endorsed Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Company (IVM) as a model for regional industrial transformation, pledging stronger collaboration to fast-track the West African automotive industry.
Top officials of the ECOWAS Commission, Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, and the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC) gave this commitment during a high-level follow-up visit to Innoson’s vehicle assembly plant in Anambra State.
The mission, which forms part of the Regional Automotive Industry Development Framework, is aimed at reducing the region’s heavy reliance on vehicle imports while boosting local production, intra-African trade, and job creation.
During the visit, the delegation inspected Innoson’s assembly lines, compressed natural gas (CNG) facilities, and vehicle stability testing units, gaining firsthand insights into how Nigeria’s National Automotive Industry Development Plan (NAIDP) is being implemented on the ground.
Innoson, Nigeria’s first indigenous car manufacturer, unveiled plans to expand its operations with two additional plants while increasing exports to regional markets including Ghana, Sierra Leone, and Mali.
“Industrialisation must go beyond borders.”
“Our vision is to build a truly West African automotive powerhouse ,made in Nigeria, driven across ECOWAS,” Innoson President,”Chief Innocent Chukwuma, declared.
ECOWAS and Nigerian government officials hailed the company’s achievements, noting that its success exemplifies how public-private partnerships can advance industrialisation, innovation, and regional integration.
According to the Commission, collaboration with firms like IVM will be crucial in driving the ECOWAS Strategic Framework on Industrial Development, which seeks to strengthen value chains across member states and foster economic self-reliance.
The endorsement of Innoson, they stressed, is more than recognition of a single company’s achievement; it is a signal of West Africa’s readiness to take charge of its industrial destiny.
As the bloc deepens economic integration, Innoson’s rise is increasingly seen as proof that with the right mix of policy, investment, and vision, the region can achieve automotive self-sufficiency and reduce its dependence on imported vehicles.
Edited by Dada Ahmed.
