Although there is some distance for Africa to travel in terms of EV production capacity and supporting ecosystem, Africa has begun to explore opportunities and make significant strides in this direction by tapping into its vast green minerals that are key inputs to EV, a top UNECA official said.
by Gretinah Machingura
HARARE, April 27 (Xinhua) — China and other foreign investors are welcome to partner with local companies to develop Africa’s nascent electric vehicle (EV) industry, a senior official of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) said. ).
Although there is some distance for Africa to travel in terms of EV production capacity and supporting ecosystem, Africa has begun to explore opportunities and make significant strides in this direction by tapping into its vast green minerals that are key inputs to EVs, Eunice Kamwendo, director of UNECA’s Sub-Regional Office for Southern Africa, told Xinhua in an interview on Thursday.
“The joint Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)-Zambia Electric Vehicle Battery Initiative is a case in point that seeks to build production capacity for electric vehicle manufacturing in the two countries starting with the production of sulfates and precursors for lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles. ” Kamwendo said in her emailed response to Xinhua from Zambia where the UNECA Sub-Regional Office for Southern Africa is located.
He said that in the medium term, Africa is focused on building its own EV manufacturing capacity and with the right industrial model and governance frameworks on the horizon, there should be good opportunities for international investors, including China, to partner with local companies for the production of electric batteries and vehicles.
“This seems to be the case with the DRC-Zambia Special Economic Zone (SEZ) and many others under development. Chinese or any other international industrial know-how will certainly be of great value to Africa’s nascent EV industry,” said Kamwendo.
Kamwendo recently called on African countries to take advantage of the opportunities presented by recent developments in the global battery and EV industry.
He made the request at a recent UNECA technical review meeting on the implementation of the cross-border special economic zone for the battery and electrical industry in the DRC and Zambia, supported by UNECA and the African Export-Import Bank.
At the review meeting, he highlighted the benefits of the battery and EV initiative in the two countries, saying the planned joint SEZ will promote the manufacturing complex in the two countries and across the continent while bridging the technology gap in the sector.
He said the increase in demand for rechargeable batteries, driven by the use of smartphones and the need to store renewable energy, represents a huge opportunity for the African continent to drive growth based on the transition to clean energy.
Kamwendo described demand for electric vehicles in Africa as low but growing.
“Insignificant at the moment, but growing and will no doubt be accelerated by the push for the global energy transition,” he said.
He said as part of the equation, Africa needs to navigate how to accelerate investment in the industry.
Kamwendo said the joint DRC-Zambia Batteries for Electric Vehicles initiative has attracted huge interest from the rest of the continent, especially from countries with significant lithium, manganese, cobalt, nickel and graphite mineral deposits such as Zimbabwe, South Africa, Mozambique , Madagascar and Botswana.
“A revolution is definitely on the way. Small but important steps to build an African EV industry,” he said. ■