Features
1 sep 18

VW expands activities to Ghana and Nigeria

Volkswagen has signed two memorandums of understanding with the governments of Ghana and Nigeria. The stated goal is to build plants in both countries and to explore the development of new mobility solutions in Ghana.

Thomas Schaefer, Head of the Volkswagen Sub-Saharan Region: “Both memorandums of understanding demonstrate one thing: the seriousness with which Volkswagen takes its commitment to Africa. We are well positioned. The situation on the continent has stabilized, and the economy is moving forward. The final hurdles for the development of the automotive industry there have been removed as a result. This is a great opportunity for us.”

VW in Africa

An assembly plant is scheduled to be built in Ghana. This would also include developing a sales and service network in Ghana as well as establishing a training academy for production and aftersales. As for Nigeria, Volkswagen has committed itself to expanding automaking operations on a step-by-step basis and to turning the country into an automotive hub on the western coast of Africa over the long term.

The Nigerian government has pledged to accelerate the passage of Nigerian automotive policies. This includes the gradual transition from the importation of used cars to the manufacture and distribution of new passenger vehicles.

Volkswagen already has a plant in South Africa. It also builds cars in Kenya and recently began to make them in Rwanda, where community car sharing is already being offered as an integrated mobility solution and where ride hailing will also be provided soon.

Picture copyright: VW, 2018

Authored by: Dieter Quartier