The Nigeria government has made safety certification a mandatory prerequisite for all vehicle imports, moving from a post-entry inspection to pre-shipment verification.

Under the Standards Organisation of Nigeria–National Automotive Design and Development Council Vehicle Conformity Assessment Programme (VehCAP) announced Tuesday, all new and used vehicles must obtain pre-shipment certification before they can be approved for a Form M, processed through customs, receive import financing, or be registered.

“No vehicle or automotive product shall be imported, cleared, registered or licensed without valid certification,” John Enoh, minister of state for industry, trade and investment, said at a workshop in Abuja. “Any non-compliant import shall be subject to refusal of clearance, seizure, or sanctions.”

The policy takes immediate effect and creates enforcement responsibilities across multiple agencies.

Nigeria Customs Service must block uncertified vehicles from clearance, the Central Bank of Nigeria must condition import financing on valid certificates, and the Federal Road Safety Corps and Nigerian Ports Authority are tasked with monitoring compliance at ports of entry.

Joseph Osanipin, director-general of the National Automotive Design and Development Council, described the new policy as a move away from Nigeria’s history of allowing poorly verified used vehicles to enter the market.

“Once a substandard vehicle enters the country, the cost of control, both economic and human, becomes significantly higher,” he said.

Nigeria’s automotive market, Africa’s largest, has long struggled with substandard imports.

Vehicles frequently enter without adequate safety checks or emissions verification, contributing to higher accident rates and circulation of defective components.

The government has resisted pressure to ban used vehicle imports entirely, citing economic constraints and capacity limitations of local assemblers.

“I think that without taking an extreme position, we must find a middle ground,” Eno said.

Officials said strict enforcement of existing age limits on imported vehicles could address many concerns without eliminating the used vehicle market. (BusinessDay)

Update news