Africa Automotive Show at IATF 2023

a boost to regional integration as countries prepare to trade under AfCFTA

The Africa Automotive Show will take place in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire as part of the 3rd Intra African Trade Fair (IATF2023) from November 21-27, 2023, the organisers have announced.

As the vision for automotive industrialisation and growth of Africa materialises, the Africa Automotive Show is the ideal platform for all role-players in the automotive value chain to connect from across the continent and globally.

“The aim is for the Africa Automotive Show to be the single most important trade and business development gathering for all automotive role-players, from raw material suppliers, vehicle and component manufacturers, dealers, importers, aftermarket parts manufacturers and suppliers as well as those from the financial and allied industries – from all parts of the continent,’’ says Africa Automotive Show Director Andrew Binning.

Binning said the Africa Automotive Show – hosted by the African Association of Automotive Manufacturers (AAAM) – is a key activity of the cross-sectoral IATF2023 and would include a dedicated automotive exhibition, a highlevel conference and match-making meetings.

“As the event is focussed on trade and partnerships promoting the development of regional automotive value-chains, participants representing all aspects of the automotive value-chain will be attending the week-long event in Cote d’Ivoire next year. ” Binning said.

IATF2023, hosted by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), in collaboration with the African Union and AfCFTA is anticipated to draw 35 000 visitors from 75 countries and 1600 exhibitors to conclude around $43bn in trade and investment deals.

The African Automotive Show as part of IATF2023 will provide “a unique and valuable platform for businesses

to access an integrated African market of over 1.3 billion people with a GDP of over US$3.5 trillion created under the African Continental Free Trade Area,” Binning said.

Dave Coffey the CEO of AAAM said “Cote d’Ivoire and the West African region provides an excellent and relevant location for this edition of “Africa’s premier automotive show.”

“We believe the Africa Automotive Show is well timed as the automotive industry is gaining traction in Africa where we will see trading of vehicles between assembly hubs across the continent supported by the development of regional value chains. Cote d’Ivoire are currently developing their competitive automotive value proposition that will have profound economic benefits for the country and region in the medium and long term. In collaboration with Ghana and other countries in West Africa that develop their sustainable automotive niche, this will drive scale and real industrialisation”, concluded Coffey.

Exhibition bookings and sponsorship opportunities are available.

The Africa Automotive Show is the ideal platform for all role-players in the automotive value chain to connect from across the continent and globally. | Image: Courtesy

Nissan holds first ever continent wide communications masterclass

Nissan Africa Managing Director Mike Whitfield has hailed the company’s inaugural corporate communications masterclass session as a resounding success. Attended by 25 high level communicators from Nissan dealerships in seven African countries; the key markets of Angola, Ghana, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique and Zimbabwe, the three masterclasses blended cutting edge practical learning with hands on experience of the award winning all new built of more Nissan Navara.

“We have the best people and the best products,” says Whitfield, “but we also have to be the best in telling our story too –both within the company and across the continent.”

Katherine Zachary, Nissan’s regional vice president for communications, agrees. Opening the masterclass from Paris, France, where she is based, she told the delegates that corporate communication was not a ‘nice-to-have’ but a ‘must have’.

“We do more than just tell stories, we analyse other news, we see potential problems and we identify opportunities.”

The masterclass, conceptualised by Nissan Africa’s head of communications Ramy Mohareb and Nthabiseng Motsepe was facilitated by former newspaper editor Kevin Ritchie and former motoring journalist and automotive industry specialist Leo Kok.

“The brief was to cover everything from understanding how newsrooms work and effective communication with the media all the way to crisis management, hosting press releases and preparing executives to be interviewed by journalists, whether in person, in studio or, as is becoming more commonplace, virtually via Zoom,” said Motsepe.

“We achieved what we set out to do and a lot more,”

said Mohareb, “it provided us with the opportunity to get together, to put faces to names after the COVID 19 lockdown, to brush up our skills and also learn more about Nissan.

“We were able to take the Navara off road, understand the cutting-edge Nissan Qashqai and hear from our marketing experts what their plans are for the years ahead as well as receive a top-level briefing on the very exciting Nissan Customer Experience programme that is being rolled out.”

Africa, said Whitfield, comprised 54 very different markets, which was precisely why the company had set up its unique Regional business Unit at the end of 2020 with its dual headquarters in Cairo and Pretoria.

“Telling the Nissan Africa story can’t be effectively done from just one country on the continent any more than it can be done outside the continent. As Africans, we know that if you want to go fast, you go alone, but if you want to go far, you go together. Bringing in our partners from these markets for this pilot project is part of that philosophy.”

Nissan holds first ever continent wide communications masterclass | Image Nissan Africa