West Africa is a growing market for Honda. In particular, the Republic of Ghana is a prominent market with one of the highest GDPs in West Africa, with a population of approximately 34.12 million, and a land area roughly two-thirds the size of Japan. It is known for its cocoa bean cultivation and mining of precious metals and oil.
Honda Motor Southern Africa (Pty.) Ltd. – Ghana (HSAF-G), established in April 2019 to support Honda distributors (responsible for sales and post-sales services) in the West African region, aims to enhance the penetration and value of the Honda brand in the West African region.
Despite being a small team of three expatriates and four local associates, HSAF-G actively visits distributors in the seven countries in West Africa, working to increase Honda’s customer base and maintain and improve quality.
In recent years, HSAF-G has been particularly focused on improving service quality. In Africa, there are many “roadside mechanics” who perform motorcycle maintenance on roadsides at low cost. Although many motorcyclists rely on these roadside mechanics rather than authorized dealerships., these mechanics often lack proper training, use low-quality replacement parts, and may leave customers with concerns about the quality of their repairs. To address this, HSAF-G is focusing on training skilled mechanics to provide customers with reliable service and enhance the presence of Honda’s official dealerships in the post-sales service sector.
Kenta Aoki, stationed at HSAF-G, leads this initiative. To improve the skills of local mechanics, Aoki launched the “Aoki Juku” motorcycle service training program in West Africa. In this academy, technicians (local mechanics) visit authorized dealers in their respective countries to ensure they are performing tasks correctly according to standard procedures. Skill checks are conducted to verify technical proficiency, and successful completion is rewarded with accreditation.
This issue of Honda Stories video introduces the “Aoki Juku” motorcycle service training program operated in the West African region.