Following the successful launch of National Automotive Repository Portal by National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), the Council has again commenced a nationwide registration programme for motor dealers in Nigeria, marking a significant step towards establishing a more structured, accountable and data-driven dealership system in Nigeria. The initiative, being implemented through a digital registration framework, is designed to identify and document motor dealerships operating across the country and create a reliable database that will provide government with a clearer picture of the size, distribution and activities of operators within the automotive market.
Speaking during the sensitisation programme for motor dealers in the North-West region held in Kaduna, on 30th September 2026, the Director-General of NADDC, Otunba Oluwemimo Joseph Osanipin, represented by the Director, Policy, Planning and Statistics, Mr Umar Nura Sidi, said the registration exercise was aimed at bringing greater organisation and visibility to the dealership subsector. He explained that the initiative should not be viewed as an additional burden on dealers, but as an opportunity for legitimate businesses to establish an official identity and become more visible within Nigeria’s formal automotive ecosystem.
Osanipin noted that the absence of comprehensive and reliable data on motor dealerships had made it difficult to accurately determine the number, location and operational activities of dealers across the country. He said the new registration framework would address this gap and provide government with the information required to develop policies and programmes based on the realities of the sector. He added that formal registration would also provide dealers with a verifiable business identity capable of strengthening their engagement with banks, financial institutions, investors, suppliers and other business partners.
“For the dealer, registration provides an opportunity to establish a verifiable business identity within the automotive sector,” Osanipin said, adding that a properly documented dealership sector would contribute to greater consumer confidence. He further linked the initiative to the Council’s broader mandate of promoting a competitive, sustainable and properly organised automotive industry capable of contributing more effectively to Nigeria’s economic growth.
In the same vein, the National President of the Association of Motor Dealers of Nigeria (AMDON), Prince Ajibola Adedoyin, expressed the association’s support for the initiative, stressing that a properly organised dealership subsector would provide a stronger foundation for collaboration between dealers and government. He noted that motor dealers play an important role in the automotive value chain and the wider economy, adding that the subsector had over time called for measures that would bring greater structure and proper identification to operators. He therefore encouraged dealers to actively participate in the registration process.
The Council identified the North-West as a strategic region for the exercise, given its vibrant commercial activities and significant role in vehicle distribution, transportation, agriculture, logistics and regional trade. NADDC therefore called on motor dealers across the region and other parts of the country to participate in the registration exercise, assuring stakeholders that it would sustain consultations with AMDON, state governments, financial institutions and other relevant stakeholders to ensure that the framework remains accessible, transparent and responsive to operators’ needs. The Council said the exercise ultimately seeks to create a more visible, organised and accountable motor dealership subsector while providing the data and institutional framework required to support informed policy decisions and the continued development of Nigeria’s automotive industry.
