Tanzania and Kenya have started deploying electric vehicles in their tourism industries with four wheel vehicles, featuring specially built in electric motors, already doing wildlife safaris in Serengeti and Maasai Mara.
But Africa now wants to plunge wholesale into EVs production.
The Economic Commission for Africa, the Global Energy Interconnection Development and Cooperation Organization and the Association of Power Utilities of Africa have launched a joint training programme on ‘Sharing Electric Vehicles and Energy Storage Technologies for Africa’s Sustainable Development.’
The virtual training, which is running attracted more than 140 participants from 25 African countries, who hail from transport and energy ministries, energy commissions, power companies, and academia, as well as Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the African Development Bank (AfDB).
Hanan Morsy, Deputy Executive Secretary and Chief Economist at the ECA, said at the opening session that Electric Vehicles could play a key role in climate change mitigation, energy transition, and value chain development, and that ECA would continue to support African member States in EV development, energy transition and industrialisation at large, through a value-chain approach.
She also thanked the partners for working together with ECA on this meaningful training programme.
Liu Xiaoming, Counsellor of the Mission of China to the African Union, noted in his opening remarks that the Mission would continue to promote and deepen China-Africa cooperation, through EVs and EST, experience sharing, technology transfer, and partnerships between Chinese and African enterprises as pathways to support Africa’s energy transition.
Abel Didier Tella, Director General of Association of Power Utilities of Africa (APUA) stressed in his opening remarks the crucial role of EVs and Energy Storage Technologies (EST) for Africa’s energy transition, highlighting continental frameworks such as the African Continental Master Plan (CMP) and the Africa Single Electricity Market (AfSEM) which need to be well integrated to meet universal energy access targets.
For his part, Wu Xuan, Secretary General of Global Energy Interconnection Development and Cooperation Organization (GEIDCO) in the opening session highlighted the pressure faced by African countries in access to energy and energy transition.
To advance the sustainable development agendas, African countries ‘could transform their potential in renewable energies and critical minerals resources into industrial advantages, through the development of local value chains and coordinated promotion of electrification, industrialisation, and sustainable development.’
The training modules cover a wide range of topics including charging facilities, network security, energy storage, EV standards and initiatives, electric public transportation system, heavy transportation vehicles and value chains, agricultural EVs and value chains, EV maintenance, and battery reliability.
Valuable contributions to the training course have been provided by NR Electric, State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC) Energy Research Institute, Smart Car Networking Technology Co. Ltd., Xiamen Golden Dragon Bus Co. Limited, Foton Cummins Power, and Jiangsu Jinpeng.
The capacity training programme is part of ECA, GEIDCO, and APUA joint initiative which intends to establish a platform for sharing and cooperation on EVs and EST among Research and Development centres, manufacturers, and stakeholders.
After the training, country-specific analysis and roadmap planning on EVs and EST will be carried out on a need basis.
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