Global vehicle manufacturers venture into Ghana’s automobile market
Automobile sector key for employment avenues for Ghananains
An Automobile expert has emphasised the need for balance in the employment opportunities offered in the sector.
According to Akbar Siddiqi who is General Manager of Sales at Silver Star Auto, Ghana’s move to establish an array of automobile hubs across the country is laudable to create sustainable employment avenues.
Speaking in an interview with GhanaWeb on the prospects of Ghana’s automobile industry, he noted the need for indigenes to purchase locally assembled cars to spur growth in the industry.
“For any equation, both sides have to be balanced. So, we have certain efforts that have been made on the industrialization of the automotive sector with a lot of hard work done by the Ministry of Trade and Industry and other related organisations such as the Ghana Standards Authority as well. At the end of it, it's a business decision for the equation to balance, you have to have the patronage of the vehicles. The cars have to sell.”
Akbar Siddiqi also emphasised the advantages of acquiring new cars stating that, "there has to be some mechanisms that allow good and attractive financing office for these new vehicles because when you buy a new car, you are sure once you are doing the normal maintenance it's going to give you several years as opposed to home-used cars which will give you slightly different service."
He continued, "There are clear advantages to buying brand new cars. Once all the factors that will balance this equation, the industry will very well be patronised," he noted.
Akbar Siddiqi however disclosed that his outfit plans to start production at the Silver Star Auto assembly plant of its globally acclaimed SUV, the PEUGEOT 3008 and the 1-ton PEUGEOT pickup.
With a workforce mostly made up of Ghanaians, he called for more engineers to venture in the sector explaining that Ghana can learn from the success stories of other African countries and "other parts of the world where they are doing local assembling of vehicles not just the home countries of the OEM brands around the world and once we see that those stories are a success we can take cues from them and implement them here in Ghana."
Meanwhile, Group Head for Peugeot Middle East & Africa Region, Badreidine Mansouri, said he was impressed with government's "clarity and vision" for Ghana's growing automobile industry following a crunch meeting with the Trade Ministry.
He noted that the country's effort in putting together a comprehensive automobile policy which compels the firm to build an automotive plant in Africa, located in Tema.
He stated that the move by government is a step to help the economy sustain itself as well as opens partnerships for foreign investors.
On April 30, 2020, government passed the Customs (Amendment) Act, 2020, Act 1014 to accommodate incentives for the automobile industry.
Meanwhile, the Chief Executive Officer, Asad Nazir, said his outfit is proud to start assembling Peugeot vehicles in Ghana adding that the brand has "a very high-quality offering, with vehicles that are fuel-efficient, economical, and are built with enhanced safety features. We are committed at Silver Star Auto to deliver vehicles that meet the expectations of today’s knowledgeable, demanding and discerning customers.”
An overview of the Peugeot assembly plant