Amidst excitement, an indigenous vehicle manufacturing company, Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Ltd, exports Nigeria-made vehicles to Sierra Leone on Monday 20 November.
The delivery marks the first set of vehicles manufactured for the Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Defence.
This was a fulfillment of a promise made during a working visit to Innoson Vehicles by Mr. Edward Soloku of the Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Mr. Isaac Ken-Green, President of Sierra Leone Road Transport Corporation (SLRTC).
In a statement by Head of Corporate Communications, Innoson Group, Cornel Osigwe, various models of vehicles bought within that dispensation were for the present administration, Transport Today reported.
Osigwe said that the President of Sierra Leone, Julius Maada Bio, had placed orders for the manufacturing of Innoson Vehicles valued at $ 4.7 million for the officers of the Armed Forces of the country.
The first set of the vehicles supplied from Nigeria to Sierra Leone is expected to leave Queen Elizabeth 2 Port (Sierra Leone’s sea Port “Water Quay”) in Free Town for distribution to military officers across the country.
In what appeared to be a swift reaction, President Bio thanked Innoson for its commitments to assisting Sierra Leone’s Armed Forces in line with continental agreement for the use of African made products.
Local media in the country shared the President’s excitement also saying the demand for the Nigeria-made vehicles will greatly assist its Armed Forces. A popular blog, Focus News Blog, hailed President Bio for his commitment to giving the Armed Forces better equipment.
Recall that 43 African countries signed the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCTA) in 2019 which deals largely with the production, use, and trade in goods and services produced on African soil.
Analysts say Innoson’s vehicle export to Sierra Leone is one step in the right direction towards the acceleration of intra-African trade as facilitated by the implementation of AfCTA.
With this development, Sierra Leone effectively becomes the first country in West Africa whose armed forces are using IVM products outside Nigeria.
The Nigerian Armed Forces had earlier signed a partnership agreement with the Nnewi auto plant for the supply of purpose-built vehicles for its personnel.