The general director of the National Council of Automotive Design and Development (NADDC), Oluwemimo Joseph Osanipin, has directed the Nigeria delegation to the 194th session of the World Forum for the harmonization of vehicle regulations (WP.29), organized by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (ONUE) in the UN Office in Genera, Switzerland.
The WP.29 platform plays a fundamental role in the promotion of global collaboration in vehicle regulations, and the continuous participation of Nigeria reinforces its strategic intention to modernize its automotive sector, attract investments and promote the development of safe, efficient and environmentally friendly vehicles.
The session brought together the key representatives of governments, international organizations and interested parties of the industry to deliberate global best practices, rules and regulations to guarantee the security, standardization and harmonization of the relevant regulations of the vehicles.
During the session, Osanipin addressed international delegates in the dedicated session on safer, clean and new vehicles (SCUNV), where he emphasized the urgent need for robust standards that govern the import and management of used vehicles, particularly in Africa and Nigeria.
In his comments, he highlighted the urgent standardization and harmonization of the requirements of used vehicles, highlighting the importance of establishing uniform regulations to guarantee the safety, performance and environmental fulfillment of used vehicles that enter the development markets.
He advocated a mandatory inspection of Pre-Envio (PSI), where exporting countries would carry out an exhaustive inspection prior to the sending of all used vehicles, ensuring that they comply with the standards of the destination countries before export.
The DG expressed serious concerns about the growing tendency to send damaged vehicles, especially vehicles affected by floods, manipulated and discarded, to Africa, which ask for strict controls to stop these insecure imports.
He also requested an extension of the mandate and term of the informal work group (IWG) in SCUNV, pointing out that this would allow the group to deepen their work, involve the broader stakeholders and develop more complete frames.
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According to him, Osanipin emphasized Nigeria's commitment to stay ahead of global automotive innovations and align local regulations with international standards.
“We must strive to be ahead in terms of regulations against technologies and innovations in constant evolution in vehicles and the automotive industry worldwide,” he said.
The general director was accompanied by the director of Planning, Planning and Statistics of NADDC and other relevant government institutions, which further reflects the focus of multiple interested parties of Nigeria for the development of automotive policies and regulatory implementation.
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