Innoson vehicle assembly plant
Six delegates from Mali and top officials of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) assisted to formalise and witnessed the signing of a Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) between the delegates and the Chairman of Innoson Group, Chief Innocent Ifediaso Chukwuma, recently in Enugu following their visit to Innoson Vehicles Manufacturing Company Limited in Nnewi, Anambra State.
The MoU is to promote Innoson vehicles in Mali.
Speaking after the ceremony, Deputy Mayor of Bamako, Keita Hanimakan, said he was proud to see two members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) sign a MoU in an important area like public transportation.
“Public transport is very challenging in our capital city. I did not know that we have an African country that can do a thing like this.
“My message is for other African countries to do their best to do very good things like this. They should not underestimate their capacity.
“We came and we saw. We now know that it is possible to do good things like this in Africa.”
An elated Chief Executive of Taxi Plus Bamako, Ibrahim Mega, said: “We have many proposals from many companies from Europe and Asia. When we found out that Innoson Group in Nigeria has the capacity to make the vehicles we were looking for, we said why do we have to go to other countries, since Nigeria is our friend and our brother.
“I am impressed with what I saw. We hope this will lead to long cooperation between the two countries.”
Deputy Director of NEPC, Mrs. Uduak Etokowoh, noted that the Council recently visited Mali for an exhibition of Made-in-Nigeria products, and “it was Innoson that gave us joy during the exhibition.”
She added: “At NEPC, our main focus is to promote intra-African trade. The signing of this MoU was actually an offshoot of an exhibition that we did in Mali. So, we are really glad that a day like this has come to pass.
“Again, we have just realised that we have brothers across the border in Mali who are ready to buy our products and we are ready to buy their products too.”
On his part, Chukwuma said when he was building his factory, he knew it was not only going to serve Nigeria, but other African countries as well.
“So, people from other African countries are coming to sign an MoU with Innoson Group, not only from Mali. My joy is that in the nearest future, Innoson vehicles will be all over African countries.
“My next plan is to develop the plant to the extent that all African countries would be coming here to buy products from us.”
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