The US$9,5-million investment is the culmination of an almost three-year journey and fitting testimony to Nissan’s ongoing commitment to Africa and to West Africa in particular.

“We pride ourselves on the partners that we work with, and we have enjoyed a particularly fruitful and long relationship with Japan Motors, of more than five decades, which is the longest standing Nissan dealership in Africa,” said Klenkiewicz.

“Japan Motors have proven themselves and their commitment to us and the markets they serve many times over, and this new centre coming as it does in the wake of their new assembly plant in Ghana, speaks volumes about exactly that.”

Senegal, said Klenkiewicz, was becoming as important a West African vehicle market as Ghana itself. where Japan Motors built a state-of-the art Greenfields automotive factory to assemble the all-new Nissan Navara pick up range which is built in South Africa.

Kalmoni agreed: “When we opened our branch here 10 years ago, we did so because we believed in the potential of Senegal and our faith in the country’s leadership and their plans.

“This centre, the only one of its kind outside of South Africa and North Africa, is proof of that belief and of our commitment.”

The new centre staffed by 48 people from technicians to salespeople is the first fully integrated facility that is fully compliant to the Nissan Retail Concept NEXT Global Dealer Facility design in sub-Saharan Africa.

The workshop covers 663 sq m with 20 bays and two truck pits with combined parking for 100 vehicles between the first floor and the roof top. Another unique feature is the special vehicle elevator that had to be installed, rather than building the more traditional ramp, to move vehicles from the ground floor to the various parking levels above.

For Japan Motors Senegal Managing Director Jamil Zoobi, the new centre is a key part of the company’s strategy to build back the Nissan brand in Senegal to its pre COVID19 levels when it was in the top three in the country.

“The centre creates a one stop shop, allowing an exceptional customer experience, saving them time while allowing them to relax in comfort while their vehicles are being serviced to world class standards using the best parts.”