Exclusive Interview With Nigeria’s First Sport Car Inventor Jerry Mallo

At the beginning of the month, Nigeria heralded a profound rarity in its technological circle. Jerry Mallo, a 25 years old Jos based innovator manufactured a fibre optics sports car, the first of its kind in the history of the nation. Our correspondent at Engineers’ Forum had a very insightful interview with this genius, Jerry Mallo who is the CEO of Bennie Agro.

We would like to know a little about your background

I’m Jerry Isaac Mallo, an automotive engineer and fabricator.

My interest in automotive systems started as far back as when I started school in the King’s School, Gana Ropp, Barkin Ladi, Plateau State and furthered to Boys’ Secondary School Gindiri, Plateau State.

While in BSS, I followed my passion in science, technology and innovation, actively participating in several science exhibitions which I excelled in.

Following my skills and talents in fabrication and a passion for automobile technology, I went further to the University of Hertfordshire, UK to enhance my talents, gain hands-on experience on Automotive Engineering.

While there, I visited some automobile manufacturing companies for industrial training and experience.

Upon coming back to Nigeria, I realized a gap in the availability of agro equipment in Nigeria, despite the opportunities and prospect of that sector, having grown in a farming family. I started designing and fabricating simple machines to help my parents and community with some agro processes to reduce cost and save time.  Gradually, it turned into a business and today I’m the CEO of Bennie Technologies.

At what stage of your life did you conceive the idea of owning a vehicle manufacturing company?

It has always been my dream to produce cars since I was a child. I was very curious about moving objects, how and what made these things move. My eagerness to answer these questions made me put efforts to create movable objects and now, a car; Bennie Purrie.

You just broke a record by manufacturing Nigeria’s first locally made Carbon Fiber sports car. Tell us about this latest invention.

First of all, it is not carbon fibre but fibreglass. Bennie Purrie is not exactly my first attempt at building a car but this is the first of its kind in a queue of more luxury fast cars that my team and I have been working on over the last few years.

It’s a demo live model of one of its designs that were made of fibreglass, has a 2.0L 200bhp engine going 0-120kmph in 12secs. Bennie Autos takes a different approach to the technical design, material choice and aesthetic appeal of our motor vehicles. The debut model is designed to change the impression about Nigerian made vehicles and put Nigeria on the list of supercar manufacturers in the world.

For how long has Bennie Agro been in operations and what are the vehicle models on sales?

Bennie Agro was incorporated October 2016 and has been in operation up till date manufacturing Agro machines.

However, Bennie Purrie was designed and manufactured under Bennie automobile which is a new company under Bennie Technologies which is a manufacturer of vehicles.

Bennie auto has not rolled out commercial vehicles yet.

How have you been able to fund your business and experimentations as the fibreglass sports car?

Research and development in Bennie Technologies have majorly been through self-funding and micro-financing through soft loans from financial institutions like Mwaghavul microfinance bank and light microfinance bank. Also, our R & D has been supported immensely by the Plateau state government through Plateau state small and medium enterprises development agency.

How supportive have the government been in growing your inventions?

Our R & D has been supported immensely by the Plateau state government through Plateau state small and medium enterprises development agency.

Bennie Agro and autos are open to investors.

What advice do you have for young inventors thriving in the Nigerian Market?

They should focus on creating solutions to problems because there are a lot of opportunities and problems to be solved.