NADDC Moves to Formalise Motor Dealerships Through Digital Registration Portal

The National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC) has intensified efforts to formalise Nigeria’s motor dealership sub-sector through a digital registration portal designed to improve transparency, strengthen consumer protection and expand access to financing.

The initiative is also expected to provide reliable industry data, facilitate the verification of legitimate dealers and support evidence-based policymaking within Nigeria’s automotive industry.

The Director-General of NADDC, Otunba Oluwemimo Joseph Osanipin, disclosed this in Abuja while delivering the keynote address at the Federal Capital Territory edition of the National Sensitisation Workshop on the NADDC Dealership Registration Portal.

Osanipin said the initiative formed part of the Council’s broader strategy to transform Nigeria’s largely unregulated and fragmented vehicle trading market into a structured, transparent and globally competitive automotive industry supported by reliable data and digital governance.

He explained that inadequate verification mechanisms, informal business operations and limited access to comprehensive market information had created challenges for financial institutions, policymakers, corporate buyers and consumers.

According to him, the portal will formalise dealership operations nationwide, authenticate legitimate and tax-compliant dealers, and help eliminate fraudulent and unaccredited operators.

He added that the platform would bridge existing verification gaps between motor dealers, commercial banks and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), while creating a centralised digital database to integrate information across the automotive value chain.

The NADDC chief further explained that the portal would facilitate collaboration with relevant government agencies, including the Nigeria Customs Service and tax authorities, to strengthen vehicle clearance procedures, curb smuggling and address the circulation of vehicles that have not been properly cleared.

Osanipin emphasised that the registration initiative was neither a tax scheme nor a barrier to revenue generation but a formalisation framework intended to protect legitimate investors, improve consumer confidence and give recognised dealerships verifiable digital identities.

He said the programme aligned with the objectives of the National Automotive Industry Development Plan (NAIDP) 2023–2033 and supported the Federal Government’s Nigeria First Policy.

According to him, the registration of authorised dealerships would help position local vehicle assemblers and their accredited distribution networks to benefit from preferential government procurement and fleet purchases.

He added that a structured dealership database would create opportunities for institutional financing, stronger partnerships with vehicle manufacturers and increased participation in cross-border trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

Speaking at the workshop, the Director of Operations of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulkarim Chukkah, who represented the commission’s chairman, assured NADDC of the agency’s readiness to collaborate in strengthening regulatory procedures and combating economic and financial crimes associated with motor dealership operations.

Chukkah noted that dealership registration records and transaction information would assist law enforcement agencies in identifying individuals, tracing transactions and gathering relevant information during investigations.

He said collaboration between the two agencies would contribute to greater accountability and transparency within the motor dealership sub-sector.

Similarly, the President of the Association of Motor Dealers of Nigeria (AMDON), Prince Ajibola Adedoyin, commended NADDC for initiating the registration and regularisation exercise, describing it as an important step towards improving the structure, recognition and credibility of motor dealership businesses across the country.

Adedoyin said motor dealers remained critical stakeholders in Nigeria’s automotive value chain and had consistently advocated stronger government support and appropriate regulation of their activities.

He particularly praised Osanipin for his commitment, foresight and determination to address longstanding challenges confronting the sub-sector.

The AMDON president urged members of the association and other motor dealers nationwide to participate in the ongoing registration exercise, noting that formalisation would strengthen business credibility, improve protection and support sustainable growth.

Participants at the workshop also called on motor dealers and other stakeholders to embrace the portal and take advantage of the opportunities offered by digital registration.

They stressed that registration would provide dealerships with verified digital identities, improve their visibility and creditworthiness, strengthen consumer confidence and give the government access to reliable information for effective policy formulation.

NADDC reaffirmed its commitment to working with motor dealers, financial institutions, regulatory agencies and other stakeholders to build a transparent, technology-driven and competitive automotive industry.

The Council urged dealership owners across the country to complete their registration, describing digital compliance as an important step towards building a more secure, profitable and globally recognised Nigerian automotive marketplace.