The Ivorian Prime Minister, Patrick Achi has inaugurated the new assembly plant of new vehicles coupled with the launch of the first vehicles made in Ivory Coast, called “Daily Ivoire” on Monday in Abidjan.
This new factory is believed to be the result of the policy of modernizing road transport systems and taking into account the will of the Ivorian authorities to diversify the national economy through the industrialization undertaken by the Government through the signing of several agreements in the sector of the automotive industry, and in particular with the company IVECO.
The latter is committed to supporting the resumption of activities of SOTRA industries (Government’s transport company) by building an assembly unit of utility vehicles of the minibus type, mainly ensuring the transport of people in Côte d’Ivoire (urban transport commonly called “Gbaka” and interurban known as “Massa”).
Liberia Public Radio national correspondent in Ivory Coast said the installation process of the assembly unit launched in 2018 marks the will of the President of the Republic, Alassane Ouattara to make industrialization the major pillar of the structural transformation of the Ivorian economy.
According to Prime Minister Patrick Achi, Côte d’Ivoire wants to continue to see the future in a big way and it goes through that soul of business and the keystones of prosperity that are the private sector in general and industry in particular. “This industry will always transform more here tomorrow the wealth produced by our land, to make the most of it there, for export, on the biggest world markets.”
For him, the industry which is expected to make it possible to meet the country’s needs in housing and construction, the one which will allow people to achieve their ambition in health and medicine, energy and mining, textiles, audiovisual and Digital Economy.
“But there is also an industry for which our needs are immense, and our potential fantastic that of mobility, mechanical construction, automotive assembly,” he added.
Minister of Transport, Amadou Koné told a gathering that the assembly line is operational and will allow the immediate creation of 500 new jobs by national workers.
The staff (engineers and workers) were been trained despite international travel restrictions due to COVID-19.
“Today, it has a starting production capacity of 1000 minibuses per year with 26 seats, configurable as ambulances, refrigerated vans, utilities for transporting materials and various goods.
Orders were placed until 2024,”Minister Amadou Koné noted.
The Ivorian transport boss described the government’s initiative as an “integral assembly line giving rise to the authorization to carry the mention made in Côte d’Ivoire” on the vehicles taken out of the assembly unit.
“These vehicles will be marketed in West and Central Africa initially and throughout Africa subsequently, thanks to the distribution network of the IVECO Company.”
“The realization of this project highlights the efforts to modernize the transport sector undertaken by the President of the Republic, Alassane Ouattara.”
“This project shows that Côte d’Ivoire is back, it shows our commitment to demonstrate that the transport sector ensures safety and comfort for all users and is a clean, modern sector, and carrier of innovative jobs for young people ”, declared the Minister of Transport, Amadou. Koné.
The launching and presentation of the assembly line and the vehicle produced; usher in a new era in the automotive industry in Côte d’Ivoire, especially for public transport users.
Last year, Ivory Coast launched its first made in Côte d’Ivoire smartphone, the first of its kind in the West African sub-region.
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