Ecorys helps Nigerian government with Nnewi Auto-Industrial Park plans

Global management consultancy Ecorys has been brought on board to devise a promotion framework for the development of an Automotive Industrial Park in Anambra State, Nigeria. The park, which is a component of the National Automotive Industry Plan, is being developed to attract global automotive manufacturers to the country. 

With the largest population on the continent, and perhaps one of the more diversified economies, Nigeria is the richest country in terms of GDP in Africa. Among a range of other factors, the country’s relative economic prosperity can be attributed to the development of alternative industries beyond the commodity trade; something that other African economies have been slow to do.

One such industry over the last few decades has been the automotive sector. In the past, the country’s automotive sector has thrived, housing some of the world’s leading manufacturers, including brands like Volkswagen and Peugeot. However, over time, the country has fallen out of favour as a production hub, primarily due to economic stagnation.

In 2013, the government developed the National Automotive Industry Development Plan, with the hope of reinvigorating production volume in the country by drawing investment into the automotive industry. One key aspect of this plan has been the development of automotive component industrial parks.

The latest of these is set to come up in Anambra state, and will comprise a collection of automotive component manufacturers operating out of a centralised, collaborative environment. The project is backed by the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, as well as the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation.

In order to assemble a policy and investment promotion framework for the project, backers of the park have called upon the services of global management consulting firm Ecorys. Founded in the Netherlands in 1929, Ecorys is an international firm which specialises in social and spatial development with the aim of delivering tangible social benefit.

The firm has deployed a team of four senior professionals for the industrial park, led by David Brown, a development expert who specialises in investment policy. Other members of the team include Kofi Sagor, who has a wealth of experience in the Nigerian automotive industry, Michael Fuenfzig, who specialises in industrial policy, and Stephanie Bouman, specialising in economic analysis.

So far, the team has submitted a presentation to the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment Dr. Okechukwu Enelamah, and has also held meetings and consultations with various regional stakeholders in the project. According to the firm’s estimates, the entire set of deliverables for the plan will be met by May this year.

This is the second major public-sector project that Ecorys has taken up in recent months on the African continent. Late last year, the firm collaborated with the local Kaloko trust in Zambia to train 640 beekeepers in the country, with the aim of creating employment opportunities.