As part of the country’s industrial transformation agenda, the government of Ghana proposes to turn the country into a major hub of auto manufacturing in Africa. Towards this end, the government has entered into negotiations to set up vehicle assembling plants with global automobile manufacturers, such as Toyota Ghana Limited. Alan Kyeremanten, the Minister of Trade and Industry, added that “We will work closely with Toyota and other automobile companies to expand their presence and operations in Ghana especially into the ECOWAS sub-region and particularly with the coming into force of the Continental African Free Trade Area.” Toyota has also entered into a Memoranda of Understanding with the University of Ghana to construct a multi-purpose training complex for the University’s School of Engineering, for practical training for engineering students. The strategy is expected to generate high-quality skilled jobs for the youth, promote import substitution, increase export and improve the balance of payment, and transform the safety and quality of the country’s transport system.
According to Alan Kyeremanten, these efforts will be further pushed through drives to promote ‘Made in Ghana’ vehicles. Ghana’s Vehicle imports bill crossed one billion dollars in 2017. The government has initiated discussions with authorized auto-mobile dealers and distributors as well as leading financial institutions to introduce a comprehensive financing scheme to enable Ghanaians to buy ‘. Made in Ghana’ vehicles.
