Bennett Oghifo

The National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC) and other automobile giants have endorsed the Nigeria Auto Industry Summit (NAISU) slated for July 31st, 2025 in Lagos

Toyota Nigeria Limited, Carloha, Weststar Associates Limited, Lanre Shittu Motors (LSM) and Nord are among the stakeholders that have confirmed their participation in this year’s event. 

Apart from NADDC, other major organisations partnering with NAJA to host this year’s programme are the Nigeria Association of Automotive Manufacturers (NAMA) and African Association of Automobile Manufacturers (AAAM).

Riding on the huge success of the maiden edition held last year and with a lot of interest coming stakeholders and prospective participants, NAJA says the event can only get better.

NAJA in a statement gave the main theme of this year’s Summit holding in Lagos as “Nigeria First: Local Content As Catalyst For Automotive Economy.”

It quoted Mike Ochonma, the Summit Organising Committee Chairman, as saying, “Last year, NAJA premiered the Nigeria Auto Industry Summit (NAISU) as a platform for stakeholders and participants to converge and critically x-ray the auto industry and proffer solutions that will take the industry to greater heights for the benefits of all players in the industry and Nigerians at large. 

“For this year, critical government agencies like NADDC, Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON), Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and others have also confirmed their participation for this year’s event.

Theodore Opara, Chairman of NAJA, also lent his voice, saying, “NAISU has come to stay as evidenced by the wholehearted embrace by the stakeholders in the auto industry. 

“And the interests already received this year show  that this event is on the right trajectory for the benefit of all in the industry. 

“Also, this year promises to radically work on entrenching local content and work more on the long-awaited Auto Industry Development Plan of the federal government, which also remains a focal point of discussions in the sector. 

“This year’s NAISU promises to be a better version of last year and plans are already in top gear to ensure all expectations are met and exceeded.”

Africa must Tap Demographic Edge, Local Ingenuity to become AI Giant, Saya Expert
Africa possesses a unique opportunity to become a global Artificial Intelligence(AI) powerhouse by leveraging the strength of its youthful population and fostering local innovation.
Chief Executive Officer of Quomodo Systems Africa, Oluwole Asalu stated further  that although Africa is seen as trailing in AI, its demographic edge,with nearly 70% of its population under 30, positions it to address global tech sector’s critical skills gap.
He maintained that the continent stands at a unique vantage point to become a talent engine for the world and a powerhouse in global AI ecosystem.
Asalu argued that that while developed nations face aging populations, Africa remains rich in digitally eager and entrepreneurial youth.
“The continent’s strategic cultivation of this demographic dividend  could redefine its economic future and global technology leadership”,he assured.
In driving this goal,  Asalu urged strengthened investment in young talent, noting  that the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme aiming to  train three million persons in modern tech tool was a step in right direction.
He said initiative of this nature should offer more than numbers, to equipping present  generation with skills that match the needs of an increasingly AI-integrated economy.
Furthermore, Asalu stressed the importance of applied learning centers, citing Nigeria’s model as a vital step in teaching and applying AI to solve local challenges.
He also urged a collaborative ecosystem that brings  together professionals, researchers, startups, and enthusiasts to share expertise and align African talent with global standards.
The digital expert stressed the importance of data, noting that most current AI systems are trained on Western and English-centric datasets,and creating a blind spot for African applications.
” To counter this, Nigeria has launched an initiative to build a multimodal, multilingual language model by digitizing languages like Yoruba, Hausa, and Igbo. This is not just a linguistic project; it is an act of sovereignty. For Africa to lead in AI, it must own its data and build systems that understand its people,” he asserted.