A new Volkswagen assembly plant is set to be erected in Rwanda this is after the signing of an agreement between the German carmaker Volkswagen and the Government of Rwanda.
President Paul Kagame received the Chairman of Volkswagen, Dr Herbert Diess, and Thomas Schäfer, the Chief Executive of Volkswagen South Africa where they got to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) chief executive, Mr. Francis Gatare.
Also read:Volkswagen targets wider East Africa with car assembly plant in Kenya
Mr. Schäfer confirmed the reports and said that the assembly plant is projected to produce at least 5,000 vehicles per year and could be set up by the end of 2017.
This initiative is part of Volkswagen’s plan to develop markets in Africa and it came immediately after the firm inaugurated its third production facility in Kenya, which is the heart of the East African market, while two others are operational in South Africa and Nigeria.
“We are launching a concept that will foster individual mobility in this rapidly developing country and make the Rwandan market a further pillar of the Volkswagen brand’s commitment to Africa,” Mr. Schäfer said.
The agreement will permit Volkswagen to begin assembling cars in Rwanda that are easy to maintain and that are low on fuel consumption and gas emission while also making it easy for the citizens to access and use the vehicles.
The mega project will not only bring a plant to assemble Volkswagen cars but also service centres that will handle repairs and this is the kind of car people should start getting ready to buy.
In line with the company’s commitment to Rwanda and the training of local people, Volkswagen has pondered the possibility of cooperation with other German companies to establish a local technical academy to ease transfer of technology and skills, its officials said in a media release related to yesterday’s agreement with Rwanda.
Volkswagen is a German automaker founded by the German Labour Front and headquartered in Wolfsburg. It is the flagship marque of the Volkswagen Group and is the largest automaker worldwide.
