The National Automotive Design and Development Council, NADDC, says Nigeria needs more private investment to grow its car industry and reduce dependence on imports.

‎The Director-General, Oluwemimo Osanipin, made the call in Abuja during a workshop on reporting Nigeria’s automotive transformation. He was represented by the Director of Communications, Susan Taiwo.

‎Mrs. Taiwo disclosed that Nigeria now has about 40 vehicle assembly plants. This is a big improvement from years ago when the country had very few working plants.

She added that the industry is also moving toward cleaner transport. NADDC is pushing CNG conversion and electric vehicles, and has started licensing conversion centers and training technicians across the country.

The Council has also set up pilot electric vehicle charging stations. But NADDC says government cannot do it alone and is calling on investors to build more charging and CNG infrastructure.

‎Experts say the market is big, with demand for about 800,000 vehicles yearly. However, over 85 percent of them are imported used cars, known as Tokunbo. That means money is leaving the country instead of creating local jobs.

Nigeria has over 30 licensed plants that can produce more than 600,000 vehicles a year. But they are only running at less than 5 percent capacity due to high costs and low patronage.

Most local work is still just SKD assembly, where cars are bolted together here. The goal is to move to real manufacturing, including making parts locally, and to reach 40 percent local content. High power costs, bad roads, and exchange rate issues are making local cars expensive.

On affordability, less than 5 percent of buyers get car loans because interest rates are high. Experts want a National Auto Credit Guarantee Fund. They also say government should lead by buying Nigerian-made vehicles first, under the “Nigeria First” policy.

‎Stakeholders agree the future is in CNG and electric vehicles. With fuel subsidy gone, CNG is good for buses and fleets, while EVs can work for motorcycles and city transport. If Nigeria invests well, it can become West Africa’s hub for clean vehicle assembly under AfCFTA.