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Nigeria launched a mandatory digital registration system for car dealers on Friday in a bid to curb fraud, improve vehicle traceability and unlock funding for industry players.
The National Vehicle Dealership Registration Framework, unveiled by the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC) in Abuja, requires all car dealers to register and obtain an annually renewable certificate.
“This framework is not merely an administrative milestone; it is the day we transition from planning to practice,” NADDC Director General Oluwemimo Joseph Osanipin said in a keynote address.
“By registering your dealership, you are doing more than fulfilling a requirement; you are positioning your business to benefit from credit support, market protection and inclusion in a structured automotive ecosystem,” he said.
Osanipin said the system was developed after consultations with stakeholders across Uyo, Lagos, Kano and Bauchi, where members of the Association of Motor Dealers of Nigeria (AMDON) demanded transparency, fairness and recognition of professional operators over informal players.
The platform will serve as a digital database that captures dealer identities, vehicle transactions, and supply chains to help authorities track stolen vehicles and protect buyers from fraudulent operators, he added.
The director general said the federal government would only patronise AMDON-certified dealers to support the Nigeria First policy and enhance the country’s competitiveness under the African Continental Free Trade Area.
Registered dealers would also be linked with vehicle assemblers to build nationwide partnerships for after-sales services, ensuring consistent maintenance support, Osanipin said.
