By Moses Akaigwe
Anambra is fast becoming renewed investor destination for successful businessmen and women aiming to take advantage of the pledged ease of doing business, to make huge investments in parts of the eastern state.
One of such huge investments is being undertaken by John Ikenna Oguegbu, an indigene of the state and Chairman, founder and CEO, Kojo Motors Limited.
Barely 24 hours after the Anambra State Investment Summit which ended last week, Gov. Charles Chukwuma Soludo performed the groundbreaking ceremony of Kojo Motors auto assembly plant located at Umunya, along the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway.
When completed, the plant will be assembling OMAA range of gas-powered mini passenger and commercial buses, as well as a range of Chinese Yutong passenger and commercial buses.
While congratulating John Ikenna Oguegbu, Chairman and Chief Executive of Kojo Motors Limited for bringing his wealth to his home state to invest, Gov. Soludo also commended the Yutong bus manufacturers from China for the smart move of coming to Anambra State to set up the auto assembly plant in collaboration with the local franchisee.
The governor stated that the decision to woo prospective investors to come and invest in the state was not out of philanthropy or charity, but rather a business decision model that will take Anambra to the world and bring the outside world to the state.
Soludo pledged the state government’s commitment to the project and patronage of the vehicles that will be rolling out of the Yutong assembly plant.
He also commended the planned move by Kojo Motors to set up the CNG and electric vehicle charging/refilling station within the same facility, adding that, the Anambra state government under his administration is on course towards massive industrial development, employment generation and prosperity for all its citizens.
Welcoming the state Chief Executive, John Ikenna Oguegbu expressed his satisfaction in coming to his own state to set up the assembly plant with Chinedu Oguegbu as the brain behind the OMAA brand, the Yutong buses, as well as the CNG project.
With the governor were the Commissioners for Transportation, Industry and Investment Energy; special advisers; other political office holders in the state; the transitional Chairman of Oyi local Government, as well as some traditional rulers.
In his remarks, Chinedu Oguegbu, Managing Director of OMAA declared that beyond being sufficient in human capital, Nigeria is blessed with unutilised abundant natural gas.
For the OMAA helmsman, “Our dedication to “Made in Nigeria” to Africa and the world under the National Automotive Industrial Development Plan (NAIDP) of the Federal Government, will not only directly employ many Nigerians, but position Nigeria as an automotive manufacturing hub in Africa.
He congratulated Gov. Soludo for successfully hosting the first Anambra state Investment Summit that ended recently, and expressed confidence that the take-away from the gathering would attract more investors to the state.
In his speech, Chino Ogwumike, National Sales Manager, Kojo Motors Limited, declared that the groundbreaking ceremony of the auto assembly and natural gas facility would go down in the corporate history of the automobile company for identifying with the economic developmental blueprint of Anambra state during the tenure of Prof. Chukwuma Soludo as governor.
According to him, “Assembly operations in Semi-Knocked Down (SKD) format at the lgbo-Ukwu facility and this new site would be our progression to Complete-Knocked Down (CKD), featuring automated welding, painting and final assembly”.
Ogwumike said that the site would also consist of first-of-its-kind public L-CNG plant and electric vehicles (EV) charging station making Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and EV Chargers available to transporters, fleet operators and the general public in the state.
“The groundbreaking ceremony signifies more than just the beginning of construction; rather it represents our commitment to growth, our belief in innovation, and our dedication to “Made in Anambra” to Africa and the world.
“The very expansive automobile assembly plant which is in tandem with the NAIDP will not only directly employ many Anambra indigenes; but will also create indirect job and small business opportunities within this locality, as well as enhance technological development.