The National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC) has engaged key stakeholders in Nigeria’s automotive industry on the Draft National Automotive Industry Bill, 2026, as part of efforts to strengthen the legal, regulatory and institutional framework for sustainable growth of the sector.
City Business News reports that the stakeholder engagement, held on Wednesday, in Lagos, brought together major players across the automotive value chain to review the proposed legislation and make recommendations ahead of its submission to the National Assembly.
Speaking at the event, the Director-General of NADDC, Otunba Oluwemimo Joseph Osanipin, said the engagement reflected a shared commitment to building a self-sustaining, technologically advanced and globally competitive Nigerian automotive industry.
Osanipin said Lagos, as Nigeria’s commercial hub and a major centre for automotive manufacturing and operations, provided an appropriate platform for stakeholders to collectively examine the proposed legislation and develop a framework capable of supporting long-term investment and industrial growth.
He said NADDC’s vision was to move Nigeria’s automotive ecosystem beyond vehicle assembly to a robust industrial value chain anchored on local content development, component manufacturing, vehicle electrification and regional market integration.
According to him, the rapidly changing global automotive landscape, transition towards sustainable mobility, drive for increased local content and expansion of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) have made it imperative for Nigeria’s automotive legal and policy framework to evolve.
The NADDC boss noted that while the National Automotive Design and Development Council Act of 2014 provided an important foundation for the sector, policy inconsistencies, legislative gaps and changing industry dynamics had created the need for a stronger and more predictable legal architecture.
He explained that the Draft National Automotive Industry Bill, 2026, seeks to repeal the 2014 Act and establish the National Automotive Design and Development Commission as a structural upgrade that would provide stronger statutory regulatory and enforcement powers.
Osanipin said the proposed legislation would also provide legal backing for the incentives, protections and implementation structures of the Nigeria Automotive Industry Development Plan (NAIDP), while creating a transparent, predictable and investment-friendly environment for Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), component suppliers, vehicle assemblers and financiers.
He added that the Bill was expected to accelerate local value addition, develop domestic supply chains and create sustainable employment opportunities, particularly for Nigerian youths.
Also speaking, the Director, Policy, Planning and Statistics (PPS), Mr. Umar Nura Sidi, described the engagement as a decisive step towards redefining the legal, regulatory and economic architecture of Nigeria’s automotive sector.
Sidi said the Council deliberately circulated the Draft Bill to stakeholders to ensure that the proposed legislation reflected the realities of those investing, manufacturing, assembling and operating within the industry.
He disclosed that valuable written contributions had already been received from major industry stakeholders, including the Nigerian Automotive Manufacturers Association (NAMA) and the African Association of Automotive Manufacturers (AAAM).
Sidi stressed that the effectiveness of the proposed legislation would depend largely on consensus and practical input from industry stakeholders.
He said the engagement was structured as an interactive forum to review key provisions and innovations in the Draft Bill, analyse technical and operational feedback, and align national automotive policy objectives with industry realities.
He urged participants to engage openly and constructively, noting that recommendations from the session would directly inform the final Draft Bill before its submission to the National Assembly.
The legal overview of the proposed legislation was presented by legal expert, Mr. Gboyega Oyewole, SAN.
The engagement attracted major stakeholders across the automotive industry, including the Chairman of the Nigerian Automotive Manufacturers Association, Mr. Bawo Omagbitse; Chairman of the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN), Rev. Lambert Ekewuba; managing directors and chief executive officers of automotive assembly plants; industry captains; manufacturers; component suppliers; and other operators.
In conclusion, NADDC expressed appreciation to stakeholders who had contributed to the development of the Draft Bill and reaffirmed its commitment to a collaborative approach to strengthening Nigeria’s automotive industry.
The Council emphasised that legislation affecting the private sector must be developed with meaningful private-sector participation, expressing confidence that inputs from manufacturers, assemblers, component suppliers, industry associations and other stakeholders would help establish a robust legal framework capable of positioning Nigeria as a leading automotive manufacturing hub in West Africa.
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