What are your goals?
We want to have Avis operating in all African countries. We recently held conferences in Cameroon and South Africa, for the purpose of fostering more partnerships between our operations in different countries.
What is the Avis take on what Africa and Nigeria, in particular, has to offer?
Looking at the map of Africa, we operate in many countries. Not all countries are the same – some are developing faster than others. Nigeria, Kenya and Mozambique are promising countries. Libya and Ivory Coast are challenging. The political nature of the countries also affects our operations. Focusing on Nigeria in particular, we are optimistic concerning the opportunities and the government stability. South Africa, though, is ahead in Africa.
What distinguishes Avis from other global car rental companies in Nigeria?
We try harder, are closer to customer understanding, and are reactive as well as proactive in introducing new services. In Nigeria, the introduction of fleet management is aimed at taking away the additional stress of managing fleets from organisations, to make them concentrate more on their core areas of specialisation. Avis has got the capacity, as a total transportation solutions company, to provide the fleet management services. Moreover, the Avis mission statement is conveying mobility with the Avis human touch. We provide quick access for customer enjoyment. The mobility encompasses all that Avis does – rental of car, truck, bus, and fleet management. It takes a different approach depending on the countries where we operate in. The Avis touch is the special delivery of the Avis promises to our numerous customers.
How did the global recession affect Avis operations?
It affected our company, as there was a drop in rental spends. Overall, however, Africa was less affected than Europe and America. So, even in the face of the challenges posed by the recession, we still continue to grow, particularly in Africa.