LAGOS – The Nigeria Auto Journalists Association (NAJA) would focus on local content development at its second Nigeria Auto Industry Summit (NAISU), which is scheduled to hold on Thursday, July 31, 2025 in Lagos. The 2025 summit would be declared open by Jumoke Oduwole, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, while Joseph Osanipin, Director-General of National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC) would be the Chief Host, NAJA said. A statement by Mike Ochonma, Chairman, Planning Committee, NAISU, stated that the 2025 edition is themed: ‘Nigeria First: Local Content as Catalyst for Automotive Economy.’ According to Ochonma, the summit would bring together key stakeholders in government, manufacturing, trade and others to chart a forward for the nation’s automotive industry. He expressed that the 2025 edition is in partnership with the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), the Nigeria Association of Automotive Manufacturers (NAMA), and the African Association of Automobile Manufacturers (AAAM). He explained that the summit aimed to deepen the national conversation around local content integration and the long-term viability of Nigeria’s automotive sector. It would also dwell on the Federal Government recently launched Nigeria’s First initiative and the buying of locally assembled automobiles. Ochonma said: “This year’s summit focuses on how local content can drive sustainable industrialization in Nigeria’s auto sector. “We are bringing the right voices together—from regulators and customs officials to local manufacturers and traders—so that policies and actions can align. “Local content is more than policy; it’s the foundation for job creation, skill transfer, and industrial sovereignty. NAISU 2025 will help unify efforts and challenges to go beyond imported solutions.” Also, expected to make presentations at the summit are Chief Anselm Ilekuba, Chairman, Association of Local Content Manufacturers (ALCMAN); Bashir Adeniyi, Comptroller-General, Nigeria Customs Service (NCS); Dr. Ifeanyi Chukwunonso Okeke, Director-General, Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and Ngozi Emechebe, President, Auto Spare Parts and Machinery Dealers Association (ASPAMDA). Besides, Theodore Opara, Chairman, NAJA, explained that auto journalists understood the power of information in shaping national policy. He pointed out that NAISU was the media’s contribution to a better-informed, locally driven auto economy. Opera insisted that the future of Nigeria’s auto sector lay in how the country was able to leverage its local resources, manpower, and innovation. He added: “NAISU offers a platform for strategic collaboration that reflects NAJA’s own mandate to build a resilient automotive ecosystem. “Local content is more than policy; it’s the foundation for job creation, skill transfer, and industrial sovereignty. NAISU 2025 will help unify efforts and challenges to go beyond imported solutions.” The 2025 NAISU would feature keynote addresses, panel sessions, and networking engagements centred on how Nigeria can reduce dependency on imported components and increase domestic production capacity. Issues slated for discussion include: Custom tariff frameworks and local assembly incentives; Supply chain localization and small-scale manufacturing; Technology transfer and skilled workforce development and Regulatory compliance and standard enforcement.