Belarus Plans Investment in Nigeria’s Auto Industry

• Belarus Plans Investment in Nigeria’s Auto Industry

The government of the Republic of Belarus has said it will invest in Nigeria, especially in the automotive industry, having seen the development of the country’s economy.

The Ambassador of Belarus to Nigeria, Mr Vyacheslav Brill, was quoted to have said this in Abuja, when he visited the National Automotive Design and Development Council, following the recent signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Federal Government and the Volkswagen Group for the production of various brands of the automaker’s vehicles in Nigeria.

Brill said his country was eager to come in and invest in Nigeria’s economy.

The ambassador said his country had global expertise in agricultural mechanisation and machinery such as tractors and harvesters, among others.

He said the country was willing to invest in the production of trucks and other heavy-duty vehicles in Nigeria.

According to him, Belarus has already made significant contributions to Africa’s development through the Africa Export-Import Bank and is ready to increase its presence and economic significance in Nigeria.

The Director-General of NADDC, Mr Jelani Aliyu, said the council was ready to work with the government of Belarus in the areas of automotive development, particularly in the production of agricultural equipment and urban transit solutions.

He said the NADDC had already built test centres in various parts of the country in readiness for the productions of vehicles in Nigeria, which would be inaugurated early 2019.

He said agriculture remained a main economic activity in Nigeria, and that NADDC would support Belarus in the production of tractors and other agricultural mechanisation equipment.