President Nana Akufo-Addo
The government has indicated its willingness to take a second look at the existing law governing the automobile industry in the country if that will bring more investment.
That will be largely dependent on the feedback it gets from industry players according to President Akufo-Addo.
He made this known when he received the President of Isuzu Motors, South Africa, Billy Tom at the Jubilee House (presidency) Thursday evening.
Tom was there to formally inform him that together with their local partners, Ronor Motors, managed by James Tachie-Menson, ISUZU, is set to commence the local assembly of their vehicles in Ghana.
“We have been very motivated about trying to establish a vibrant automobile sector of our economy. It led us to propagate and define an automobile policy which I have no doubt you are aware of to be able to situate and provide you the contest, both for fiscal, legal, and every other details as to what it will mean to establish a plant or establish a facility here in Ghana” President Akufo-Addo said.
“I am hoping that the policy that we have put out is what led you and other investors in the automobile industry to find Ghana attractive and that it forms part of the reasons you decide to come here (Ghana)” he stated whilst noting with emphasis “I am looking always to get the feedback from the practitioners in the industry to see to what extent the policy posture of government is helpful or not, and whether or not there are things that have to be looked at or examined.”
If there are recommendations to improve the policy, President Akufo-Addo said it will give his government “the opportunity to be able to do so to improve the policy.”
On his part, the President of ISUZU Motors, South Africa, Billy Tom indicated that Isuzu’s investment in the Ghanaian economy has a two-fold agenda.
First, he is hopeful that the ISUZU assembly plant in Ghana will help improve intra-Africa trade and secondly, influence the growth of the automobile industry on the African continent.
“Our facility here in Ghana is our first venture outside the country as ISUZU Motors, South Africa. What we are doing is two things; it is intra-trade within Africa and secondly is to grow industries within the continent” was how he put it.
ISUZU’s grand heritage includes the manufacture of Japan’s first passenger car, the A9 in 1922, the first truck, the CP in 1924, and the first air-cooled diesel engines, the DA4 and DA6 in 1936.
It was first used as the name of the TX trucks and the BX bus in 1934.
Isuzu is also the name of the holy river that flows through the ISE Grand Shrine, the oldest and most important shrine in Japan. ISUZU was adopted as the company name in 1949.
The company has supported logistics and mobility for connecting people’s lives from the outset.
Their products have widely been used in more than 120 countries around the world including on the vast African continent.
By Charles Takyi-Boadu, Presidential Correspondent