The African Association of Automotive Manufacturers (AAAM) has elected Tarek Mosaad as its President. Mosaad is President and CEO of Hyundai Motor Middle East and Africa.
An Egyptian national with more than two decades of international leadership experience, Mosaad became the first Arab executive to lead Hyundai Motor Company’s Middle East and Africa Regional Headquarters in January 2026. He oversees the company’s operations across both regions, including markets where Hyundai is expanding its industrial and manufacturing footprint.
He takes the role at the point where Africa’s automotive sector is beginning to connect. The African Continental Free Trade Area, alongside national automotive policies now in place across key markets, is creating the conditions for individual assembly hubs to operate as a single continental market — the scale the industry has so far lacked.
“No single market can realize Africa’s automotive potential alone,” Mosaad said. “We need an interconnected ecosystem where countries contribute according to their strengths — vehicle assembly, components, raw materials, technology, skills. That integration is what creates the scale to attract investment and move value creation onto the continent.”
Three priorities for the presidency
Mosaad has set out three areas of focus. The first is policy consistency: working with governments to establish long-term, predictable automotive frameworks that give manufacturers the confidence to commit capital. The second is the component base — developing African suppliers, which determines how much value is retained on the continent, how many skilled jobs are created, and how competitive African-built vehicles become. The third is regional integration: removing the barriers that prevent vehicles, parts, skills and investment from moving between African markets.
The work builds on momentum in North Africa, and Southern Africa where Egypt, Morocco, Algeria and South Africa have each advanced localization and drawn new investment into regional and global supply chains.
“Tarek’s election reflects both his leadership and his understanding of the opportunities across Africa,” said José Muñoz, President and CEO of Hyundai Motor Company. “Collaboration between policymakers, manufacturers and regional institutions will be essential to unlocking the continent’s long-term potential, and Tarek’s regional perspective will make an important contribution to that mission.”
“The opportunity extends well beyond assembling vehicles,” Mosaad added. “It is about building capabilities, developing suppliers, creating skilled jobs and establishing an industry that can grow with the continent for decades. That is what delivers real economic value for Africa.”
