Minister unveils Geely models, urges investment in manufacturing

Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Otunba Niyi Adebayo, has called for more investment in Nigeria’s manufacturing industry, saying will provide an avenue to get into African market.

The minister spoke in Lagos at the unveiling of two prime Geely models, Geely Emgrand7 and X7 Sport, stressing that the time was ripe to invest in manufacturing in Nigeria, with the commencement of the African Continental Free Trade Area.

He said, “This is a good time to invest in manufacturing in Nigeria because of AfCFTA, which will take you to the African market.”

Adebayo commended the initiative by Mikano and urged other firms to emulate the company, adding that the Federal Government would always support such venture in Nigeria.

Chairman and CEO of Mikano International Limited, Mr Mofid Karameh, gave insights into the journey to partnering with Geely, saying, “It took us ten years to make up our mind on which company to bring into Nigeria so we can be sure to deliver the best to our esteemed customers.”

General Manager of Operation at Mikano, Mr Kamal Karameh, spoke on the Mikano-Geely partnership, recalling that Mikano officially signed the partnership with Geely in 2019 and further elaborated on the global strength of Geely Auto.

“Geely is one of the world’s top automakers; they are the owner of Volvo Car Group, and the biggest shareholder of Daimler AG (group to which Mercedes Benz belongs), its sales exceeded 2.1 million cars, placing it among the world’s top car manufacturers.

“With more than $14 billion investment over the last 10 years in R&D and plans to further invest for the next five years, it is commitment to provide the highest level of modern technologies in its industry which has seen Geely recorded notable growth indexes.”

 

The Geely Auto General Manager for Africa Market, Shubin Liu, in his virtual speech, commended the legacy of Mikano International Limited and expressed confidence in the positive outcome of their partnership with Geely for the Nigeria automobile market.

Also in a short speech by the Mikano Sales Manager for Geely brand, Mr Ralph Haidar, disclosed that the brand’s flagship models Emgrand 7 and X7 Sport came with a comprehensive three-year free insurance, three-year free servicing and five-year warranty.

He stressed the high technology endowment of the Geely brand as well as its well-engineered functionality, using influences from Volvo and other acquired auto companies.

The event which took place at the ZORYA Place Victoria Island Lagos, also was attended by Director General, NACCIMA; Ambassador Ayoola Olukanni; Managing Director, Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency (LASAA), Prince Adedamola Docemo; Director General, Manufacturer Association of Nigeria (MAN), represented by Mr Joseph Emoleke; former Inspector General of Police, Mr Mohammed Dikko Abubakar; and Chief Medical Director, UCH, Prof. Jesse Abiodun Otegbayo.