Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote’s company has entered
into an agreement with a local automaker Transit Support Services Limited to
purchase 3,500 trucks worth N63 billion from the local plant.
Dangote Group, according to the Chief Executive of Transit
Support Services Limited, which assembles Shacman Trucks in the country,
purchase order represents over 90 percent of the production capacity of the
Enugu-based vehicle plant.
Frank Nneji, CEO of Transit said Shacman trucks are assembled
at the Anambra Motor Manufacturing Company Limited’s (ANAMMCO) factory in
Emene, Enugu.
The trucks are to be deployed by Dangote group to its
refinery plants in Lekki, Lagos and construction firm currently working on the
Apapa-Oshodi-Lagos old toll gate road,
“About 90 percent of trucks produced here are for Dangote.
Right now at the dump, we have about 300 units. Since last year, we have done
800 units. Dangote Group since inception has bought about 3,500 units from us.
It also patronises the Shackman trucks for its refinery currently being built
in Lagos,” Nneji said. He said the project had also
kept busy the Onne port, which was dormant for many years.
He said the Onne port is used for the delivery of vehicle
components supplied to the ANAMMCO plant by its partner from China, Shaanxi
Heavy Duty Automobile Import & Export Company. “This has been of tremendous
benefit for the people in the South-East. For more than seven years, this place
was shut down.
“There was no activity until Shackman came and we made an
agreement with the Shacman Group and we started skeletally.”
“We were only able to start full production of
trucks when we offered logistics solutions to the Dangote Group. That was in
2016 when we started the first agreement for 500 trucks.
“With this, many workers of ANAMMCO who had been at home had
to come back to work; some local suppliers of lubricants, electrolyte and the
rest had to return to business.”
Nneji noted that the resuscitation of the ANAMMCO plant was made possible through the establishment of the auto policy which encouraged local production of automobiles.
