Nigeria’s Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing (IVM) has concluded plans with the Government of Sierra Leone to build a factory in the country.

The company states in its website that they have concluded plans with the Sierra Leone Government to establish an assembly plant in Freetown.

Innoson recently delivered the first set of army vehicles manufactured for the Sierra Leonean Ministry of Defence on 21 November 2022. The $4.7 million USD shipment was organized by the Ministry of Defence, led by Edward Soloku, the Minister of Internal Affairs and the Road Transport Corporation (SLRTC) in 2019.

According to online reports, the vehicles will soon be “ready for distribution to military officers across the country” by the government. The IVM website lists the costs of SUVs at between $29,137 to $62,774 USD. Sierra Leone now becomes the first country in West Africa whose armed forces are using the IVM products outside Nigeria.

The Head of Corporate Communications, Innoson Group, Cornel Osigwe, said the Nigerian company also produces motorcycles, cars, SUVs, kekes, buses and pick-up trucks.

He added, “This development is a step towards the acceleration of intra-African trade as facilitated by the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCTA).”