Innoson Group is quietly becoming one of Nigeria’s biggest industrial employers. The company’s CEO, Innocent Chukwuma, says 8,000 people now work directly for the automaker, and a new factory under construction will add another 2,000 jobs.
- Nigerian automaker Innoson Group says its workforce has grown to 8,000 employees.
- CEO Innocent Chukwuma plans to hire another 2,000 workers for a new factory currently under development.
- The company is also building a tractor manufacturing plant at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka to support farmers.
- Backed by the Bank of Industry, Innoson says its expansions are aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s industrial capacity.
Chukwuma disclosed the numbers during a facility tour with executives from the Bank of Industry in Nnewi, the manufacturing hub where the company builds vehicles for the Nigerian market.
Nigeria’s manufacturing sector has struggled with FX shortages, power costs, and imported competition. That makes Innoson’s expansion unusual and potentially important.
Chukwuma said new production lines nearing completion will “significantly increase” output and staffing levels across the country.
The CEO said the company deliberately assigns women to precision-heavy roles: “In some sensitive areas, we decided that it is women who will be there because they obey the rules. When you need accuracy in some areas, women are more prudent.
“The female folks obey the rules more than the male: train them and they obey the rules.”
Innoson Is moving into agricultural machinery
The automaker is establishing a tractor plant at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, a calculated shift that could improve farmers’ access to equipment and reduce reliance on imported machinery.
Chukwuma credited his company’s growth to a long partnership with the Bank of Industry, which he said has financed equipment acquisition for more than 20 years.
Omar Shekarau, the bank’s Executive Director for Large Enterprises, praised Innoson’s rise from a small operation to a company Nigerians are proud of and said the bank would continue supporting the business.
He also urged Nigerians to patronize local manufacturers to strengthen the domestic economy.
With a growing workforce, a new factory coming online, and a push into agricultural equipment, Innoson is positioning itself as a key player in Nigeria’s industrialisation effort at a time when many manufacturers are shrinking rather than expanding.
