By Gladys Ekwu
Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Company (IVM) has created three plants where more sophisticated vehicles would be produced.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company, Mr. Innocent Chukwuma said that the vehicles to be produced from the three new plants include; Innoson small and minibus that would be on for Higher Purchase and youth empowerment programme.
“This is in collaboration with the interested state governments’ under a counterpart funding arrangement, which will, in turn, provide minimum employment of 660 Nigerians.
According to him, the Innoson Connect and Cares, which were built with fuel economy, would be affordable and easy to maintain with good aerodynamics for a pleasurable drive, with employment opportunities rising to more than 318 adding that It has the Automotive Robotic Spraying Boot.
Mr. Innocent noted that the three plants were financed with a N4.6 billion loan from the Bank of Industry (BOI) with support of the Nigeria Automotive Design and Development Council.
Emerald News gathered that in a bid to give Industrialisation the priority that it deserves and to boost Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the state, Anambra State Government recently inaugurated the three new plants at the Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Company (IVM), Nnewi while throwing its’ weight on the company for effective sponsorship.
The plants, which would aid the production of solid vehicles, would promote other innovative ways of boosting the industrial sector to ensure greater productivity.
Gov. Willie Obiano at the inauguration of the plants, said that his administration had continued to patronise local manufacturers and entrepreneurs, noting that in spite of the great challenges in the operating environment in the face of inconsistencies in the National economy, IVM had added the three new plants into its production line.
He noted that in pursuit of the ideal that his administration established the Anambra Small Business Agency (ASBA) to source credit facilities and extend the same to operators of SMEs in the state as they were the engine room for any industrialisation effort.
Gov. Obiano also emphasised that his administration had worked hard to boost electricity supply to major industrial areas that in turn cover, not less than 43 communities with stable power supplies.
“Innoson has shown that given the right support and enablement, this company has enough ambition to evolve into Nigeria’s first multinational automobile company, just like other automobile companies across the globe,’’ he said.
He, then, appealed to the Federal Government, Ministries, and Agencies to always remember Innoson whenever they had a need for brand new vehicles.
Gov. Obiano was represented at the occasion by the Deputy Governor, Dr. Nkem Okeke.
The Minister of Finance, Budget, and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed in her address said that it was gratifying to note that Innoson brand, a Nigerian company had been blazing the trail in automobile assembly under the National Automobile Industrial Development Plan.
“It has become the leader of Automobile manufacturing in Nigeria today. ‘’ She noted.
Mrs. Zainab noted that the President had consistently supported and encouraged local manufacturing in Nigeria to assist in creating jobs as well as boosting economic growth.
She also announced that the ministry had installed a vehicle registration portal to ensure that every vehicle imported or manufactured locally in Nigeria would be captured in a central database using an 18-digit vehicle identification number that would help to tackle smuggling and forestall leakages in Government revenues.
The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Otunba Niyi Adebayo while speaking at the event, said that it was a laudable milestone for the automotive sector and the foremost indigenous vehicle assembler in Nigeria.
He noted that these plants further underscored the focus of the management of IVM toward supporting the FG Industrialisation agenda, job creative aspirations, and campaigns for local content development.
“The FG is keen and will continue to support the sector due to its importance,’’ Otunba Adebayo said.
