Bob ROCO Romeo

  The president, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has officially opened the brand-new state-of-the art Nissan Navara assembly plant in Tema which has the capacity to produce 11,593 units of vehicles per shift per annum . The plant is the culmination of a journey that began in 2018 when Nissan became the first mover in the country to sign a memorandum of understanding with the government to work towards creating the Ghana Automotive Development Policy. Nissan selected Japan Motors, one of its two long standing distributors in the country, as its licenced assembler in 2020. Work on the 5000 sq. m plant began shortly afterward and today, 17 months later, the plant was officially commissioned by the president as the first Navaras began rolling off the assembly lines. Nissan Africa Managing Director, Mike Whitfield, said it was an incredible joyous and emotional experience. “Less than eight months ago, the Nissan plant in Rosslyn South Africa passed its final test to be given the gr...

  Twelve   technicians from Japan Motors Trading Company Ltd (JMTC) have undergone a two-month technical training programme from Nissan South Africa, ready to spearhead the launch of the Nissan vehicle assembly plant in the country. Participants were trained on the finer points of how to assemble the Japanese automaker’s legendary Navara, which is currently being built in Africa at the Rosslyn plant in South Africa and expected to start rolling off the assembly lines from the end of this month and on sale across African markets in the months that follow. The comprehensive training programme course has equipped the trainees with the ability to assemble the new Nissan Navara and learn the principles of the Nissan Production Way.  This is to ensure that the numerous quality control measures are enforced and allow them to help train the next generation of Ghanaian engineers to assembly these vehicles in the country. Managing Director of JMTC, Mr. Salem Kalmoni said the c...

  The independence story of Ghana cannot be discussed without the automobile and transport sector. The colonial Governors and other officials were travelling the country’s length and breadth in automobiles of old; and today cars remain the main means of transport. According to research, the first car to arrive in Ghana – then Gold Coast, was in 1902. The brittle and fastidious vehicle, a paraffin-fuelled and steam-driven French Gardner-Serpollet car, was intended for the Governor of the time. Since independence, Ghana’s automobile assembling industry has come to have good support from the national government - which has enabled it to become one of the fastest-growing sectors of the economy. The transport and automobile industry currently accounts for a quarter of GDP, and this year, 2021, it is expected to account for at least 32% of GDP despite the novel coronavirus pandemic. Also, the automotive industry - which is a chief sector that can drive economic forces - has a ...

Nissan has appointed longtime partner Japan Motors as its partner in an all-new vehicle assembly facility in Ghana. The appointment which is as a result of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in 2018 between Nissan and the government of Ghana to lay the foundation for a sustainable automotive manufacturing industry in the country. The first model to be assembled at the new facility will be the all-new Nissan Navara pick-up, unveiled by Nissan earlier this month. Nissan has a long heritage within the pick-up segment and the new model will be produced to specifications created for the African market. The continued development of Nissan’s African manufacturing base is a key part of the company’s regional midterm strategy under Nissan NEXT, the company’s global transformation plan. Once operational, the Ghana facility will add to Nissan’s existing African production capacity at plants in South Africa, Egypt and Nigeria. The announcement demonstrates Nissan’s ongoing commitment to in...

How the badge’s physical identity was adapted for the digital world We are more connected than ever before. People are growing up with the access to knowledge and the potential for interaction that the internet offers. Our lives are as much digital as they are physical. Hence strong brands need to have effective touchpoints in both realms. For the past 20 years, Nissan’s outgoing logo has been a beacon on its vehicles and so much more. It has served as an identity, a business card, a handshake and the first greeting between customers and the driving excitement that Nissan vehicles provide. For decades more, Nissan’s logo has stayed true to a belief held by its founder Yoshisuke Aikawa, “Shisei tenjitsu o tsuranuku,” which he interpreted to mean, “If you have a strong belief, it penetrates even the sun.” While keeping this essence alive, Nissan’s new “calling card” reflects the significant changes in society over the last two decades. It is a reimagination of the iconic Nissan bra...