Online Conference AAAM
On January 24, 2022, JICA and the African Association of Automotive Manufacturers jointly convened the last seminar related to the promotion and improvement in the automobile sector of Africa, after the COVID era; this was an online conference by the name of AAAM.
Conference Attendees
Stakeholders from various ranges were present, including private-sector automotive companies, representatives of national government institutions, national and regional industry associations, development partners, and intergovernmental organizations. The seminar attracted close to 400 registrations and close to 300 participants from more than 20 countries in Africa and beyond.
The CASE innovations, the COVID-19 pandemic, the continental free trade area in Africa, and de-carbonization regulations are some of the most important changes that impacted the automobile sector. Director General of the EDD (Economic Development Department), Ms. Keiko Sano, opened the conference by highlighting the importance of the AfCFTA (African automotive industry).
Mr. Dave Coffey, co-host of the event and Chief Executive Officer of AAAM, also gave the green light to invest in Africa to make it reach global heights. However, this will require deliberate interventions and brave leadership based on coordinated and clear strategies across all continental governments.
Research Team’s Conclusion
Then came the research team’s turn, and they presented their main conclusions regarding the state of the African industry in the area. Looking at the future, four vision objectives were identified by the team for the industry: greater regional integration, exporters from North and South Africa embracing new technologies (such as new energy vehicles), the expansion of regional hubs for vehicle assembly in the whole of Sub-Saharan Africa, and information transformation through after-sales formalization and cutting-edge technological solutions.
Panel Discussion With Five Respected Business Leaders
Then the conference transitioned to board and panel discussion with five respected business leaders participating, moderated by Dr. Nikolaus Lang, Senior Partner at the Boston Consulting Group and Managing Director.
Themba Khumalo, Principal Advisor on Industrial Development at the AfCFTA, expressed that progress is being made regarding negotiations to conclude the Rules of Origin that support the value of regional development and encourage industrialization. She also discussed the opportunities that a single integrated market of 1.3 billion people can provide to the automotive industry, given the significance of economies of scale in manufacturing.
Miss Rita Kavashe, the managing director of Isuzu East Africa, spoke on the subject of encouraging the growth of potential assembly hubs. She emphasized the significance of the private sector collaborating with the governments to find creative solutions, such as rules governing the importation of used cars and the function of automobile financing in boosting consumer demand
