Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama on Tuesday inaugurated a new automobile assembly plant by the Chinese automobile assembly and distribution company, Zonda Tec Ghana Limited, in Kpone near Tema, the eastern port city.

 

The new vehicle assembly plant is the third phase of the company's assembly plants in Ghana, with a minimum production capacity of 12,000 vehicles a year. It is designed to support the assembly of SUVs, pickup trucks, and electric vehicles, and is expected to directly employ at least 1,000 more Ghanaians. 

 Inaugurating the plant, Mahama said that the growing influence of Zonda Tec in Ghana's automobile industry reflects the strong and ever-growing economic partnership between Ghana and China. "From a modest beginning as a vehicle distributor in 2010, the company has grown steadily and has transformed into Ghana's leading assembler of heavy-duty vehicles, SUVs, and small cars, and now operates one of the most modern vehicle assembly facilities in the West African region," Mahama said. 

According to Mahama, Zonda Tec's development in the automotive industry, with a 24-hour assembly plant, is in line with the government's vision of developing the country's automotive industry and the 24-hour economy policy. He reaffirmed Ghana's commitment to continue maintaining a stable and predictable investment climate to attract more investments to the country. 

 Zonda Tec's General Manager Yang Yang said the company's goal is to build an automotive industry in Ghana to serve both the country and the broader African market. "Ghana has many unique advantages to become a major automotive hub in West Africa -- its strategic location, its entrepreneurial people, its growing market, and the presence of the AfCFTA Secretariat," Yang noted.

 

 Going forward, Yang said, Zonda Tec would focus on creating more learning opportunities for young Ghanaians, providing practical training in automotive technology, mechanics, logistics, and other technical fields, empowering women and supporting those vulnerable who are mostly in need, and promoting road safety in the country.