Report by Nana POKU
The Ghana Automobile Manufacturers Association have called on Ghanaians to purchase made in Ghana and assembled cars to create jobs and grow the automobile industry in the country and Africa as a whole.
Addressing the media in Accra at three day regional summit dubbed African Prosperity Dialogue, the various captains of the various auto industries stressed the need to patronize the locally produced vehicles.
The spokesperson for the association informed the media that it’ is about time the country did away with used cars that are fraught with a lot of challenges.
He emphasized that apart from the seemingly low cost of the used cars, nothing good comes out of them; besides, clearing those cars at the ports is time-consuming and cumbersome. He also stressed that the issue of over aged cars cannot die out to avoid dumping.
Mr Minta indicated that the time is ripe for Ghana and Africa to leapfrog in the automobile industry to be counted in modern-day industrialization bid to move the continent forward.
He allayed the fears of the second hand cars dealers that they are going to lose their markets or jobs, but said that a new scheme is being rolled out to take care of their businesses. In the new business, the dealers will buy used cars in Ghana and resell to prospective buyers as done in overseas countries. He informed the media that they are in conversation with them to avoid a backlash.
The association reiterated that they have come together with a common agenda and goal to stimulate the automobile industry to serve the needs of Ghanaians and Africans.
They disclosed that the second-hand dealers, on average bring down about 12,000 [twelve thousand] cars to Ghana, while Nigeria imports about 700,000 thousand used cars annually.
The association asserted that on the average, Ghana produces about 12,000 cars annually as against the 120,000 thousand imports.
They disclosed that they will soon roll out the modalities, including payment modules that will be very flexible and affordable to the average Ghanaian.
They intimated that when one buys a brand new car, he is sure of warranty of about 5 years and durability and other after sales services accompanying the purchase. Besides, the thuggery of clearing cars at the port will come down considerably.
They agreed to assemble smaller cheaper cars that the average Ghanaian can afford. They promised to come out in the next few months with some plans and schemes for the country.
The captains of producers of VW Passat, Hundyai, Kia, Toyota, Nissan, and Suzzuki, among others, were at the briefing and took turns explaining issues to the media.
