JAPAN Motors and Trading Company, dealers in automobile and accessories is to undertake a massive infrastructure investment in its Tamale branch within the next three years.
Among the strategies line-up to capture the growing market in the metropolis, are the construction of a modern showroom for vehicles and Yamaha Motorbikes to offer customers a serene and comfortable environment to do business.
A three-story office complex, part of which will be rented to institutions that want to set up near the light-industrial area of Tamale, will also be constructed on part of the land. As part of the expansion process, the workshop will be relocated and given a state of the art design.
According to the Branch Manager of the company in Tamale, Mr. Al-Hassan Somoa Mahama, “as Tamale is becoming the commercial hub of the north, the company also intends putting up two large warehouses drawing from our experience of managing warehouses in our Tema Branch.”
In doing this, “we are envisaging that when the In-land-port in Tamale becomes operational, the needs of importers will also be met,” he explained.
The manager observed that most people were still unaware that they could purchase their vehicles at their office in Tamale and had to trek all the way to Accra stressing that, “the vehicles you buy from us here and those from our head office in Accra are all of the same quality and durability.”
Mr Mahama further indicated that his outfit also offers training facilities to students from the technical schools, polytechnics and universities like its sister branches in other parts of the country.
“It is the only automobile garage in all the three northern regions equipped with modern vehicle diagnosis equipment.
Giving a background of the company’s existence in the north, the manager explained that Japan Motors was among other automobile firms that opened its branch in Tamale in 1973 to enjoy the benefits of the agriculture boom in the area.
The rapid decline of the agricultural sector in the 1980s in the area, however, led to the decline in incomes as automobile sales plummeted. Almost all the automobile firms dealing in agricultural equipment and vehicles folded up before the middle of the 1980’s.
He said while others folded up, Japan Motors re-strategised and adapted to the new challenges. “The endurance and patience of Japan Motors later paid off as the sales of the Yamaha Motorbikes soared in the 1990’s. The Nissan range of vehicles, which is the hallmark of the company, also enjoyed much patronage.”
The manager explained that the surge in sales was largely due to the influx of NGOs and Christian missionary activities which required robust means of transport that could traverse the rugged Northern Ghana roads and paths leading to the hinterlands. He added that the introduction of the Local Government Decentralisation system also empowered district assemblies to make purchases of vehicles and motorcycles within their locality, thus broadening the branch’s clientele base.
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