President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo says the growing trajectory of the truck assembly business in Ghana is critical for economic growth.

This development will in the long term build the capacity of the nation for a fully-integrated and competitive industrial hub for the automotive industry.

President Nana Akufo-Addo, commissioning the second phase of the Zonda Sinotruk Assembly Plant, at Tema, Greater Accra Region, said his Administration was giving meaning to the Ghana Automotive Development Programme under the Strategic Anchor Industries Initiative.

The new assembly plant is expected to increase the company’s current annual production capacity from 850 trucks to some 3, 000 heavy duty and light duty trucks.

These include tipper trucks, trailers and semi-trailers, oil tankers, and a variety of vehicles.

It is estimated that the project will double employment in the company from 356 to 700, and also create some 1, 000 indirect employment opportunities.

A unique feature of Zonda Sinotruk operations is a state-of-the-art training centre established to train artisans in the application of appropriate technology and skills to build their capacities in the process of assembly, repair and maintenance.

“I am convinced that the progress we are making in restoring macro-economic stability, and in our determination to returning our nation unto the path of sustained growth will inure to the benefit of the private sector,” the President stated.

The country continues to attract investment from global vehicle brands, including Nissan – currently the largest automotive assembly plant in Ghana, with the capacity to assemble over 31,000 vehicles per annum.

The President affirmed the Government’s unflinching support to the continuous development of a business-friendly atmosphere “where businesses could grow and grow”.

He stated that his Administration was not oblivious of the challenges confronting manufacturing in the country.

Consequently, the authorities were committed to an incentive framework for companies such as Sinotruk to become a prominent domestic assembler of trucks and major player in the haulage, construction and distribution sub-sectors of the economy.

Mr. Kobina Tahir Hammond, Minister of Trade and Industry, said the Government would not relent in its quest to industrialise the economy and create more skilled jobs.

This is to ensure stable sources of income and livelihood to improve the living conditions of the people.

Ms. Yang Yang, the Managing Director, Zonda Sinotruk Assembly Plant Limited, said the Company continued to grow on the basis of the solid foundation of its investment.