FG inaugurates NADDC Automotive Training Centre in Lagos to boost jobs, vehicle production, tech transfer

FG inaugurates NADDC Automotive Training Centre in Lagos to boost jobs, vehicle production, tech transfer

 

The Federal Government, in a landmark effort to revitalize Nigeria’s automotive sector and curb youth unemployment, on Monday inaugurated the NADDC Automotive Training Centre in Ikorodu, Lagos.

The centre is one of 21 facilities being established nationwide to accelerate skills acquisition, local vehicle production, and technology transfer in line with the new Nigerian Automotive Industry Development Plan (NAIDP 2023).

Speaking at the ceremony, the Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Senator John Owan Enoh, emphasized the centre’s strategic role in job creation, GDP growth, and the achievement of Nigeria’s automotive policy goals.

The policy seeks to achieve 40% local content in vehicle production and ensure that 30% of vehicles produced locally are electric, ultimately generating over one million jobs.

“Infrastructures and human capacity building are key to the success of this policy,” the minister stated.

“This centre will contribute to reducing social vices among our youth by offering them a pathway into high-demand skills and sustainable employment.”

Senator Enoh reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to equitable national development, citing the centres’ spread across the six geo-political zones, including states such as Bauchi, Gombe, Kogi, Ebonyi, Kano, Ogun, and now Lagos.

He praised the efforts of the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC) under its Director-General, Mr. Oluwemimo Joseph Osanipin, for championing the initiative and lauded President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for approving the automotive policy under the Renewed Hope agenda.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, in his keynote address, described the automotive sector as the “bedrock of industrial development.”

He stressed that the Ikorodu centre is pivotal to building the technical capacity required for a rapidly evolving mobility landscape, especially as vehicles increasingly become “computers on wheels” with alternative powertrains like hybrid, CNG, and electric systems.

“This facility ensures our citizens not only use these technologies but understand, maintain, and innovate with them,” the governor said. “Lagos is the engine of West Africa, and for us to continue.”

He also said, “Lagos is West Africa’s engine. Our ports move goods, our roads move people, and our markets move ideas.

“For Lagos to continue leading, our people must be equipped with the knowledge and competence that modern mobility demands. Vehicles are now computers on wheels; diagnostics are software; powertrains are increasingly alternative—CNG, hybrid, and electric.

“This centre ensures that our citizens do not only use these technologies; they understand, maintain, and innovate with them.

“In addition, this centre was established around three pillars: skills that match industry needs, standards that protect the public, and opportunity that creates jobs.”

Also speaking, NADDC DG Osanipin described the commissioning as “an epoch-making event” and a testament to the Tinubu administration’s vision for industrialization, poverty reduction, and wealth creation.

“Our goal is to position Nigeria as one of the leading automotive manufacturing nations globally,” Osanipin said.

“This facility is equipped with state-of-the-art tools to train automotive artisans, technicians, and engineers, improving the quality of local services and vehicle assembly.”

He highlighted the NAIDP 2023’s role in creating a more competitive automotive landscape through strategic incentives and government patronage of locally produced vehicles.

Reiterating NADDC’s mission, the DG committed to sustained support for research, infrastructure, and development of local automotive components, asserting that the path to Nigeria-made vehicles of international standards was firmly underway.

The event marked another step in Nigeria’s industrial road map, blending federal policy, infrastructure investment, and youth empowerment to build a self-reliant automotive future.