The Director General of the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), Jelani Aliyu, MFR, has commended Duka Automotive, a subsidiary of Origin Automotive Works, on its recent expansion efforts to increase its assembly and production capacity.
Aliyu stated this during a facility visit and tour of the Duka assembly plant located in the Iganmu Industrial estate area of Lagos. He expressed his commitment to supporting the local manufacturing and assembly of automobiles in Nigeria.
The NADDC boss, who was taken around the facility by the Chairman of the Origin Tech Group, the parent company of Duka Automotives, Prince S.J Samuel, expressed his excitement at seeing the level of investment and commitment towards the automobile industry by an indigenous player.
Speaking on behalf of the company, Prince S.J Samuel welcomed the D.G of NADDC to the company and shed some light on the growth plans of Duka Automotives and how they will positively impact the company, using the very best technology and human capital available.
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In his words, Samuel said, “Origin Tech Group is already a major player in the field of Agro-mechanisation. And currently in Nigeria, if a request is made for 10 tractors, you can be sure that four of the tractors will come from Origin Tech Group”.
The Chairman, however, identified skill and knowledge as major impediments to the growth of the sector. For instance, according to him, “To design a true Nigerian vehicle with a minimum of 40-60% owned platform in terms of the design of key components, you will require between 600 – 1200 R&D team which will require a load of support from the federal government”, he stated.
The Origin boss further added that “Origin Tech believes in driving and adding value in whatever we do. And one of the ways of driving value is to create a good product that will be in demand not only in Nigeria, but also all over the world.”
Samuel urged the NADDC boss to consider supporting indigenous companies, like Duka Automotive to ensure the growth of the automotive manufacturing industry in Nigeria by investing in capacity development.
Aliyu further commended the Origin boss and expressed his excitement at witnessing the exponential growth of the assembly plant, stating his commitment to establishing a working relationship between the National Automotive Design and Development Council and Duka Automotive to explore the various opportunities within the manufacturing industry and lifting the sector to a stage where Nigerian companies can compete favourably on a global scale.
