Ford Motor Company has just made known to the public their plans to release the Ford Ranger to Nigerian markets. Outside of South Africa, It is actually the first country to produce Ford vehicles on the continent  The assembly plant in Ikeja, Nigeria is set to create 180 new jobs, while also having the ability to produce 5,000 units a year.

As many may recall, the Ford Ranger used to sell in the United States but is now being sold in foreign countries that don’t have access to the Ranger or similar vehicles like the Ford F-150.  Even though the assembly plant for the Ranger pick-up is stationed in Nigeria, the production team stationed there has been churning out vehicles for over 130 markets in Europe, the Middle East and other parts of Africa. That kind of productivity is really benefiting Africa’s livelihood, as Nigeria has the largest economy in Africa. The plant’s efficiency can be seen in the fact that the Ranger was the best-selling vehicle in South Africa for the first half of the year.

“Today’s announcement will allow us to better serve our customers both from a retail point of view, and in terms of vehicle and parts availability,” said Jeff Nemeth, president and CEO of Ford Motor Company of Sub-Saharan Africa region. “We are committed to supporting Nigeria’s developing automotive industry and economy. “