Electric vehicles crucial to Nigeria’s industrial growth, says Minister Oduwole at SAGLEV assembly plant visit

Electric vehicles crucial to Nigeria’s industrial growth, says Minister Oduwole at SAGLEV assembly plant visit

Nigeria’s Minister of Industry, Trade, and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, has highlighted the pivotal role electric vehicles (EVs) will play in shaping the country’s future industrial landscape.

She also promised the support of gge Federal Government for EV development in Nigeria and urged corporate firms and individuals to give their backing through patronage.

During a visit to SAGLEV, an EV assembly plant located in Imota, Ikorodu, Lagos State, Dr. Oduwole emphasized the potential of EVs to transform Nigeria’s transportation and logistics sectors by enhancing innovation, energy efficiency, and economic productivity.

She affirmed the government’s commitment to supporting local investors through business-friendly policies. “President Bola Tinubu’s ‘Nigeria First’ policy is designed to prioritize and empower Nigerian businesses like SAGLEV,” she said.

Referencing the recent Domestic Investor Summit, the minister noted that progress seen today is the result of years of groundwork, including training, collaboration, and strategic partnerships.

Dr. Oduwole pointed out that EVs consume 80% less energy than conventional vehicles, which could substantially reduce costs and support large-scale infrastructure projects such as the ongoing coastal road initiative.

She said, “This administration from industrial policy, to trade policy is focused on Nigerian investors and putting them first so that they can thrive.

“This (EV) is affordable; this is sustainable; this is what can really jump-start our transportation logistics businesses. So from a business perspective, there are affordable vehicles. There is also opportunity for credit which young Nigerians can look at it.
“We will continue to deliver workable reforms for small and medium sized enterprises as they scale, and manufacturers as they produce, we want them to be competitive.
“These are vehicles that use 80 per cent less of power and it is really what can take Nigeria to the next level, what can take productivity, with projects like coastal road, you know what that is going to mean as a multiplier effect for the Nigerian economy.

“Nigerians are extremely patriotic. Anything Nigeria is extremely popular.
I think we should stop this rhetoric of Nigerians not patronising Nigerian products. This is a product that is Chinese and it is going to be domiciled here. He also has his own brand that would be manufactured here in Nigeria.
“We really need to acknowledge and support investors who have taken the hard road of going through finding land, finding technical partner, going through trade facilitation with our ports, all the reforms that are going right now, making sure they are training young technicians, making sure they are also expanding outside the Nigerian market, exporting to the African Continental Free Trade Area, this is exactly what President Bola Ahmed Tinubu wants to see and how he wants to support domestic investors.”

The minister also pledged streamlining customs procedures, citing investors feedback that automation and other reforms are already making trade more efficient. “Trade facilitation is key, especially for our regional integration across Africa,” she said.

She mentioned the National Single Window Project (NSWP) as a vital step in simplifying trade processes, adding that while challenges remain, compliance with regulations is improving.

Also present was Lagos State Commissioner for Commerce, Mrs. Folashade Ambrose-Medebem, who reiterated the state government’s commitment to supporting EV investments under Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration. She emphasized the employment potential such initiatives hold for Nigeria’s growing youth population.

Director-General of the National Automotive Design and Development Council, Mr. Joseph Osanipin, announced that the much-talked about new legislation to regulate Nigeria’s automotive policy would be rolled out soon.
The DG also spoke about a National Occupational Standard policy for EV servicing and maintenance, which would guide training in technical institutions nationwide.

SAGLEV CEO, Dr. Gbenga Faleye, called for stronger government support to improve raw material importation and increase local patronage.
He said the company could produce 2,500 electric vehicles annually and employ residents from the Imota community as part of its corporate social responsibility.

Faleye urged Nigerian manufacturers to focus on the country’s vast opportunities despite persistent challenges.
“Progress takes time. Let’s stay focused on the possibilities,” he said.

The traditional ruler of Imota, Oba Ajibade Agoro, thanked the minister for her visit, declaring it a sign of Imota’s rising status as an industrial hub in Lagos.