The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Zonda Tec Ghana Limited, Mrs Yang Yang, has asked for a review of the Ghana Automotive Development Policy (GADP) to help create a competitive industrial hub for the automobile industry in West Africa.
She explained that the review on the ban of motor vehicles that were over 10 years of age to five years, provision of specified exemptions and incentives were crucial to help establish more vehicle assembly plants in the country.
In an interview with the Graphic Business when members of the Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GNCCI) visited the head office of Zonda Tec Ghana on August 18 in Accra, Mrs Yang said attracting more assemblers would create jobs for the youth.
To achieve the vision of the policy, Mrs Yang said Ghana needed to emulate examples from neighbouring countries such as Nigeria, Côte d'Ivoire or South Africa.
"Ghana needs to emulate Nigeria and Côte d'Ivoire in terms of attracting automobile companies to establish assemble plants in the country.
"It is the reason why every automobile company has an assemble plant in Nigeria and Côte d'Ivoire. This is because they have stopped importing vehicles over five years old," she added.
Current policy
In August 2019, the government designed the Ghana Automotive Development Policy with a vision to make Ghana a fully integrated and competitive industrial hub for the automotive industry in the sub-region.
It is to generate highly skilled jobs in automotive assembly and the manufacture of components and parts, with spill over effects into other sectors of the economy.
The policy seek to establish an asset-based vehicle financing scheme for locally assembled vehicles to ensure affordability for vehicle buyers.
It is also to improve balance of payments through competitive import substitution, export market development and improve vehicle safety and environmental standards; and transform the quality of the national road transport fleet and safeguard the natural environment.
The policy, among other things, seeks to ban vehicles older than 10 years, salvaged and flooded vehicles, new vehicles without destination certificate and vehicles assembled from parts imported as spare parts.
About Zonda
Zonda Tec Ghana is an automobile company was incorporated in September, 2010 under the Companies Code 1963 Act 179 as a private limited company and commenced operations in September, 2010.
It is a Ghanaian based automobile company that specialises in the sale and distribution of heavy and light duty vehicles with three branches(Tema, Agona Nkwanta and Nsawam) and three shops (Madina, Kasoa and Amasaman) across the key business regions of Ghana.
Zonda operates a combination of automated and manual vehicle assembling plants to harness the process of vehicle assembling.
Currently, the company has automated its assembly plant with assembly lines such as; the trim assembly line, chassis assembly line, final assembly line and a conveyor system within the assembly plant coupled with after production vehicle testing services in order to produce to meet current demand.