The Director- General, National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), Oluwemimo Joseph Osanipin on 21st May 2026, received a courtesy visit from the Executive Secretary, National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE),Dr. Mrs Angela Ajala, at the Council’s Headquarters in Abuja.

Speaking during the visit, Dr. Mrs. Angela Ajala expressed that the purpose of the meeting was to discuss ways of repositioning teacher education beyond conventional classroom teaching. She emphasized the importance of introducing standards, quality assurance, and strategic initiatives that will help transform teacher education in Nigeria.

“In the next six years, if urgent and drastic measures are not taken, Nigeria may face a shortage of teachers due to the declining societal perception of the teaching profession.” she said.

She explained that while there are numerous emerging skills globally, the automotive industry and automotive technology remain critical sectors for the future. In that regard,  the Commission sought to collaborate with NADDC to jointly review the technical and vocational education curriculum to introduce automotive technology into Colleges of Education as one of the key skill areas that can better position students for future opportunities.

Dr. Ajala also highlighted the need for NADDC’s support in equipping Colleges of Education with automotive laboratories, workshops, mini innovation hubs, fabrication centres, and auto-diagnostic equipment. She noted that with the growing advancement in electric vehicles (EVs), CNG-powered vehicles, hybrid systems, diesel technology, and other emerging automotive innovations, these hubs and centres would serve as practical training facilities, research and innovation spaces, as well as entrepreneurship hubs for students.

She further stressed the need for capacity building for lecturers and instructors to ensure that digital and emerging automotive technologies are embedded in selected pilot Colleges of Education where demand for such skills is expected to be high

In the same vein, the Executive Secretary,  emphasized the need to develop students’ practical and entrepreneurial skills through initiatives such as National Automotive Skills Competitions, internships, industrial attachment placements, innovation challenges, and apprenticeship partnerships with automotive companies. According to her, these efforts will improve students’ employability beyond earning teaching certificates, while also promoting entrepreneurship and job creation, especially as every college already has an entrepreneurship centre.

Responding, the Director-General of NADDC, Otunba Oluwemimo Joseph Osanipin, expressed strong interest in the proposed collaboration, stating that education remains a critical pillar of national development. He noted that regardless of one’s aspirations in life, education whether formal or informal plays a vital role in achieving them.

Osanipin expressed the Council’s readiness to collaborative with the Commission, adding that the NCCE’s proposal aligns with NADDC’s long-standing initiatives of partnering with higher institutions, Colleges of Education, technical colleges, polytechnics, and universities to strengthen skills development and enhance capacity within Nigeria’s automotive sector.

A collaborative engagement committee between the two agencies were set up to fast track the process of achieving the following –

* Better-trained technical teachers

* Increased youth employability

* Innovation and entrepreneurship growth

* Stronger skills development centres

* Enhanced local automotive capacity

* Economic development and industrialization

#NADDC #NigeriaAutomotiveIndustry #IndustrialGrowth #youthempowerment #𝐒𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 #greenenergy

The National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), on 15th May 2026, welcomed members of the Sector Skills Council to its headquarters in Abuja.

The purpose of the visit was to present the automotive manual developed by the committee led by NADDC and the Sector Skills Council.

The President of the Automotive Sector Skills Council, Engineer Best Nnodim, stated that the manual was designed for automotive professionals, training institutions, regulatory bodies, and awarding bodies for effective industry application and standards development.

The manual also provides comprehensive guidelines on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) systems and Electric Vehicles (EVs), including their operations, safety standards, conversion procedures, and maintenance practices. The CNG section contains a total of nine modules, while the Electric Vehicle section comprises ten modules.

The manual integrates engineering expertise, industry standards, regulatory requirements, and practical field experience necessary for the evolving automotive industry. The EV section of the manual is specifically intended for training, workshop instruction, and maintenance practices for automotive professionals transitioning into EV services, where advanced electrical expertise is required beyond conventional automotive servicing.

The Director-General of NADDC, Otunba Oluwemimo Joseph Osanipin, commended the collaborative efforts of the Sector Skills Council and emphasized the importance of structured training and certification in strengthening Nigeria’s automotive workforce and supporting the nation’s transition toward cleaner and more sustainable mobility solutions.

NADDC #NigeriaAutomotiveIndustry #industrialgrowth #NYSC #sustainability #CNG #GreenFuture #EV

On May 8, 2026, at the Headquarters of the Federal Ministry of Youth Development in Abuja, the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC) and the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) officially signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to commence Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) retrofitting training for corps members under the NYSC Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) Programme.

The initiative is aimed at equipping Nigerian youths with practical, enterprise-ready skills in CNG vehicle conversion and maintenance in line with the Federal Government’s energy transition agenda and drive toward sustainable transportation solutions.

Speaking at the ceremony, the Director-General of NADDC, Otunba Oluwemimo Joseph Osanipin, described the partnership as a major step toward advancing Nigeria’s automotive and clean energy ecosystem. He noted that the collaboration reflects the Federal Government’s commitment to addressing the growing demand for skilled manpower in the emerging CNG sector following the transition to alternative energy solutions.

Osanipin stated that NADDC would deploy its technical expertise toward the development and implementation of a world-class CNG retrofitting curriculum tailored for corps members with engineering backgrounds. He added that participants would receive practical training and industry-relevant certification to prepare them for employment and entrepreneurship opportunities within the automotive and energy sectors.

“The Federal Government’s pivot to Compressed Natural Gas has created an urgent skills gap in the Nigerian workforce, and NADDC is fully committed to addressing that challenge through structured technical training and certification,” he said, while appreciating the support of the Ministry of Youth Development, NYSC leadership, Pi-CNG, and other stakeholders for the successful collaboration.

The Director-General of NYSC, Brigadier General Olakunle Oluseye Nafiu, commended the Federal Government for prioritising youth empowerment through sustainable initiatives and assured that the NYSC would provide the necessary institutional support to ensure the successful implementation of the programme across the country. He further noted that the scheme remains committed to partnerships that create meaningful economic opportunities for corps members and contribute to national growth and development.

Other dignitaries who graced the event included the Honourable Minister of Youth Development, Mr. Ayodele Olawande; the Special Assistant to the President on Youth Initiatives (Monitoring and Delivery), Honourable Titilope Gbadamosi and representatives of Pi-CNG, alongside senior officials of NADDC and NYSC.

The three-year partnership is expected to create a pipeline of trained CNG technicians across the country, strengthen Nigeria’s clean energy transition, and contribute significantly to youth empowerment, employment, and entrepreneurship development through effective inter-agency collaboration.

NADDC #NYSC #youthempowerment #NigeriaAutomotiveIndustry #CNG #IndustrialGrowth #GreenFuture #sustainability

The Director-General of the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), Otunba Oluwemimo Joseph Osanipin, has emphasized the critical role of aftersales services in building a sustainable and globally competitive automotive industry in Nigeria and across West Africa. He made this known while speaking at the opening ceremony of the West African Automotive Summit (WAAS) 2026.

In his keynote address, the NADDC DG described aftersales as the “most potent yet under-leveraged growth engine” in the Nigerian automotive sector, stressing that the future of the industry depends not only on vehicle sales and assembly, but also on the capacity to sustain vehicles throughout their lifecycle. Addressing policymakers, investors, manufacturers, and industry stakeholders at the summit, he noted that while assembly and sales often receive the most attention, the true strength of any automotive ecosystem lies in its maintenance, spare parts supply, technical servicing, and consumer support structure.

According to the DG, recent figures from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), as published by Punch Newspaper, revealed a significant increase in vehicle imports and transport equipment across the country. He stated that these figures highlight the enormous economic value and untapped potential of the aftersales market, emphasizing that in developing economies such as Nigeria, only a fraction of a vehicle’s lifetime cost is tied to its initial purchase, while the greater value lies within the aftersales ecosystem through spare parts, lubricants, tyres, diagnostics, and technical labour.

The NADDC DG further explained that consumer confidence in locally assembled vehicles is directly linked to the reliability of aftersales support systems, noting that guaranteed access to genuine parts and efficient service delivery significantly improve the residual value and long-term perception of automotive brands. Highlighting the industrial opportunities within the sector, he stated that aftersales presents a practical and lower-risk pathway toward full-scale local manufacturing, as demand for consumables and replacement components continues to rise significantly across the country.

He stressed that localizing fast-moving automotive spare parts could create thousands of specialized technical jobs while also reducing pressure on foreign exchange and strengthening Nigeria’s industrial base. He also underscored the human impact of a strong aftersales ecosystem, noting that quality maintenance services improve road safety, build public trust, and create opportunities for technicians, engineers, and small-scale manufacturers nationwide.

Calling on investors and industry stakeholders to seize the opportunities within the sector, the DG urged stakeholders to reposition maintenance and aftersales services from being viewed merely as support operations to becoming core pillars of revenue generation, industrial development, and long-term sustainability within the automotive sector.

The Chairman of WAAS, Mr. Lukman Mahmud, stated that sustainable automotive growth cannot exist without strong support systems. He noted that the true impact of vehicles is measured not only at the point of sale, but also through reliability, maintenance, service delivery, technical expertise, and consumer confidence.

The West African Automotive Summit continues to serve as a strategic platform for regional collaboration, innovation, policy discussions, and investment partnerships aimed at advancing the automotive industry across West Africa.

NADDC #NigeriaAutomotiveIndustry #sustainability #youthempowerment #IndustrialGrowth #westafricaautomotiveshow2026