Mr. Ichiro Kashitani, who showed gratitude to the Ghana Government for the huge help and support towards the realisation of the project, said “we consider the project of the assembly plant a marriage. It lasts for life and it is a long-term project.”
The Chief Operations Officer of the company in charge of the Africa division of Toyota Tsusho, Mr. Imai Toshimitsu, who was also at the meeting, said the decision to set up an assembly plant in Ghana had been important taking into consideration the favourable economic climate prevailing in the country.
“We are pleased to participate in the automotive industry in Ghana. I am very happy that we have reached the consensus and principal agreement to start the Toyota and Suzuki assembly plants. We are planning to kick-off the project immediately and hopefully, we will have the first car made in Ghana this time (August) next year. Thank you very much for your support,” he added.
Mr. Toshimitsu stated that details of the work to be undertaken in Ghana, it also includes the volumes and models of the vehicles to be produced, were contained in the MoU.
“The products to be assembled in Ghana include the Toyota Hilux pickup, which is already popular in Ghana. Since it will be locally produced, I hope it will be more popular. We are also planning to introduce small passenger cars, with two Suzuki brands,” the Toyota COO explained.
On his part, President Akufo-Addo stated that the signing of the MoU with Toyota Tsusho falls in line with the vision of making Ghana an automotive hub for West Africa and the larger African market.
With the coming into force of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), the President noted that “Ghana is the base to reach this larger African market”.
