CFAO Celebrates 120 Years in Nigeria, Commits to Support Local Sustainable Initiatives

Bennett  Oghifo

As CFAO marks its successful 120 years of business existence in Nigeria this year, the Country Delegate, Mr. Regis Tromeur, has stated that CFAO will continue to support local sustainable initiatives and promote opportunities in education and training.

He made this remarks on Thursday, June 15, 2023, in Lagos at a dinner event to mark the company’s milestone, which was graced by many dignitaries in the public and private sectors of the economy, among whom were the representative of the First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu; the Governor of Lagos state, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu; Chairman & CEO, CFAO Group, Mr. Richard Bielle; Chairman of CFAO Nigeria, Mr. Gbenga Oyebode, representative of the Japanese Ambassador to Nigeria, among others.

According to Mr. Regis Tromeur, “This informed the theme of this milestone celebration which is- “Celebrating our legacy, embracing our future.” 

The Country Delegate who doubles as the Managing Director, Assene-Laborex Nigeria Limited, a subsidiary of CFAO Nigeria, added that “All of us at CFAO Nigeria are marking a milestone of the existence of our company this year with a bountiful sense of history, tradition, and insight. Our company is 120 years old and we would like to celebrate it in line with the importance of our age, achievements, and experience.”

Also speaking, Mr. Richard Bielle, who made a CFAO Corporate Social Responsibility cheque presentation of N5m to the Medical Director of Massey Children Hospital, Dr. Abimbola Mabogunje, stated that CFAO is the market leader in Africa in automotive distribution.

Governor of Lagos state, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who commended the historical feats of CFAO in Nigeria, made a CFAO’s posthumous award presentation to its former Chairman, Chief Molade Okoya-Thomas, adding that “being in existence for more than 120 years is no mean feat. CFAO is a shining example for other businesses to follow”.

The Managing Director of CFAO Mobility Nigeria, Mr. Patrice Porte, stated that “Celebrating our 120th anniversary is very important for our shareholders, our staff, our partners and our customers. This demonstrates the solidity of the group and its ability to overcome business headwinds.” 

In their presentations, the Deputy Managing Director of CFAO Motors and the Head of Marketing and Communications, CFAO Mobility, Mr. Kunle Jaiyesimi and Ms Funmi Abiola, explained that CFAO, which focuses on health and education in its CSR campaigns, has granted over 800 secondary school scholarships to students since the early 60s. “We started the tertiary education scholarship scheme about 12 years ago, and we have made well over 100 presentations”, the DMD added.

The Dinner event was also used to unveil a Special Anniversary book entitled ‘Celebrating our Legacy, Embracing our Future’, in which the historical antecedent of the company was reviewed.

CFAO is a prominent player in the mobility sector in Nigeria with products like Toyota, Mitsubishi, Suzuki, JCB, Mitsubishi Fuso, Howo, King Long, and services like Loxea and Auto Fast etc in its portfolio. 

The company also maintains a presence in the healthcare sector with Assene-Laborex, agent of leading Pharmaceutical Companies like Novartis, GSK, Sanofi, AstraZeneca, Boeringer-Ingelheim, Servier, Jansen Cillag, Innotech’ and EuraCare.