The Charge‘d Affair of Nigera in Mali, Yara Abdulsalam, says Nigerian motor manufacturing company, Innoson Motors, is set to start exportation of cars to Mali.
He gave the hint when he led a delegation of businessmen from Mali to visit the Foreign Affairs Minister, Geoffrey Onyeama, on Friday in Abuja.
The indigenous motor manufacturing company, according to him, has signed an MoU with a Malian firm ,Taxi Plus VIP , to export 400 locally made vehicles to Mali, for the expansion of transport business in that country.
Abdulsalam added that the development was the outcome of “Made-in-Nigeria products exhibition” held in Bamako in 2016.
Abdulsalam said, “from the exhibition, Taxi Plus VIP approached the embassy that they wanted to import vehicles from China but, we told them that we have indigenous company in Nigeria that manufactures vehicles.
“They started talking with Innoson through Nigerian Export Promotion Commission (NEPC) and the deal was later finalised.
“Mali is the centre of Francophone countries and has boundary with eight countries.
“If the MoU materialises, it will positively affect all other countries and will increase Foreign Direct Investment in Nigeria.”
Speaking, Geoffrey Onyeama expressed delight at the development and said it was “the beginning of industrial revolution in Nigeria.
“So, what you are achieving can be the beginning of revolution in our country; the longest journey has to start from somewhere.
“What you are doing represents a giant leap for Africa because it involved trading among ourselves.
“What I found so interesting is that we are trading at the highest technology level with the export of automobile, cars and buses to one another.
“As we are now laying the foundation, the sky is the limit for Africa; it means we have broken that glass ceiling that is holding us down,
“This is what the ministry wants Nigerian embassies around the world to be doing; to serve as small hub to promote trade relationship.
“We have many offices around the world and we want to leverage on that to promote Nigerian goods.”
