ADVERTORIAL NISSAN
Nissan
Nissan invests in skills development as a driver of sustainability within the automotive sector
O
ver the last few decades, the African automotive industry has been evolving, with inclusive integration across all disciplines propelling the industry forward. Africa is gaining traction in the development of flexible workforces, advanced manufacturing, openness to creativity and innovation, and shared equity despite the challenges around sustainable skills development.
As a result, through strategic partnerships with governments and meaningful private-sector participation, Nissan believes that the African manufacturing sector is poised to innovate and create industrial manufacturing experience, ultimately resulting in solutions that can help communities and local economies grow.
Nissan first invested in Africa’s growth more than sixty years ago when Nissan Motor Limited opened its Rosslyn manufacturing operations in South Africa. In 2019 it reaffirmed its commitment to the continent with its recent R3bn investment to upgrade its Rosslyn plant and continues efforts to uplift and upskill not only its own staff, but to also nurture the growth of whollyblack-owned suppliers through its BBBEE start-up programmes and incubation hubs.
INVESTING IN OUR PEOPLE The South African Automotive Masterplan (SAAM) 2035 aims to have the local automotive industry producing 1.4 million vehicles a year by 2035. This target is partly achievable through further financial investment in the industry, upskilling to reduce the shortage of technical and engineering skills in the automotive industry and the strength of private public partnerships.
14 | Public Sector Leaders | March 2022
Nissan’s modernisation of the Rosslyn plant has seen further investment in their people. In preparation for the Navara’s local production, for example, they invested R190 million in re-skilling and training Nissan South Africa’s (NSA) employees to expand their knowledge and expertise. To achieve this, NSA tapped into key global markets like Japan, the United Kingdom and Mexico to offer training and enable skills transfer to the local team.
