By Samuel Harmon
Preparations for the 2025 Nigeria Auto Industry Summit (NAISU) are gathering pace after several marquee organisations confirmed they will be in attendance at the one‑day conference scheduled for 31 July in Lagos.
The National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC) tops the list of endorsing institutions, joining a line‑up of leading manufacturers and franchise holders that includes Toyota Nigeria, Carloha, Weststar Associates, Lanre Shittu Motors and Nord Automobiles. Industry groups such as the Nigeria Association of Automotive Manufacturers (NAMA) and the African Association of Automobile Manufacturers (AAAM) have also pledged support.
Organised by the Nigeria Auto Journalists Association (NAJA), this year’s summit carries the theme “Nigeria First: Local Content as Catalyst for Automotive Economy.” According to the organisers, discussions will centre on accelerating local component production, boosting employment, and fine‑tuning the long‑awaited National Automotive Industry Development Plan.
“We launched NAISU last year to create an arena where regulators, assemblers, dealers and financiers could diagnose the challenges facing Nigeria’s auto sector and outline practical remedies,” said Mike Ochonma, chair of the summit planning committee. “With the endorsements we have received from NADDC to the Standards Organisation of Nigeria and the Nigeria Customs Service, the 2025 edition promises deeper engagement and richer outcomes.”
NAJA chairman Theodore Opara added that the enthusiastic response underscores the summit’s growing importance on the automotive calendar. “Feedback from the maiden edition convinced us that stakeholders want a permanent forum to tackle issues such as tariff policy, parts localisation and consumer financing. The momentum we’re seeing this year confirms NAISU is becoming that forum.”
Speakers are expected to explore fresh incentives for domestic parts suppliers, the role of micro‑factories in rural job creation, and strategies for attracting new investment amid fast‑evolving regional trade agreements. A special session will examine how the federal government’s Automotive Industry Development Plan can be recalibrated to reflect current market realities, including rising demand for electric and gas‑powered vehicles.
Registration details for participants will be released in the coming weeks, while the organisers say preparatory work is already “in top gear” to ensure robust panel sessions and ample networking opportunities.
If the inaugural summit is any guide, delegates can anticipate candid debate and concrete recommendations—ingredients organisers hope will help the sector move from talk to tangible progress in the months that follow.
