234Drive invited to Mikano Motors and Autochek partnership press meet.
For over 35 years, Mikano International has been a name Nigerians associate with reliability. From power generation to construction equipment, the company has built its reputation on delivering quality and trust across industries. Now, through its automotive arm, Mikano Motors, the company is taking a bold step toward reshaping how Nigerians access and own brand-new vehicles, and it’s doing so through a landmark partnership with Autochek, one of Africa’s leading automotive technology platforms.
The collaboration was officially announced on Friday, 27th February at a joint event bringing together senior leaders from both organisations: Joelle Haykal, Group Executive Director at Mikano; Syam Abdulkhadir, Chief Operating Officer of Mikano Motors; Etop Ikpe, CEO of Autochek Africa; and Chetan Seth, CTO of Autochek Africa. Together, they laid out a shared vision: to tackle one of the most persistent barriers to vehicle ownership in Nigeria, access to financing.
The Problem They’re Solving
Nigeria has no shortage of people who want to own a car. The challenge, as Mikano’s leadership has long recognised, is that many Nigerians simply cannot afford to pay the full price of a vehicle upfront — even when they can comfortably manage monthly payments over time. This gap between desire and access has left millions stuck with older, unreliable vehicles or dependent on expensive alternatives.
Mikano Motors has consistently emphasised that its goal is not just to sell cars, but to deliver a complete ownership experience, one built on peace of mind. As the company sees it, every Nigerian deserves the right to own a new vehicle and drive it for six, seven, or eight years without the constant anxiety of breakdowns, repairs, or depreciating value that comes with buying older models. The partnership with Autochek is designed to make that vision a reality.
How It Works
At the heart of the partnership is a new digital showroom — Nigeria’s first e-dealership of its kind — built in collaboration with Autochek. Customers can browse, apply for financing, and begin the vehicle acquisition process either online or by visiting a Mikano Motors showroom in person.
The application process has been designed to be as simple and accessible as possible. Prospective buyers need just two things to get started: their BVN (Bank Verification Number) and NIN (National Identification Number). From there, the process involves declaring income and submitting the BVN through Autochek’s encrypted, secure system, with customer data privacy treated as a top priority.
One of the more customer-friendly features of the platform is its flexibility. If a buyer later decides they want a different vehicle model, they can make that switch without having to go through the entire application process again, reducing friction and making the experience feel less like a bureaucratic ordeal and more like a modern consumer transaction.
What This Means for Nigerian Car Buyers
The significance of this partnership goes beyond a single dealership or financing product. It signals a shift in how the Nigerian automotive market is approaching affordability and access.
For Mikano, it is an extension of a brand philosophy that has defined the company for decades: quality should be accessible, not exclusive. For Autochek, which has been expanding its technology-driven automotive solutions across Africa, it represents a deepening of its footprint in the Nigerian market through a trusted, established partner.
Together, they are offering something that has long been difficult to find in this space: a straightforward, transparent path to owning a brand-new vehicle, backed by two organisations with the infrastructure and credibility to deliver on that promise.
As Mikano Motors and Autochek roll out this initiative, the expectation is that it will open doors for a significant number of Nigerians who have long put vehicle ownership in the “someday” category. With the right financing structure, that someday may be closer than many expect.
