The world today is gradually awakening to the daunting effects of climate change and as a response, new technology adoption is on the rise. This includes the innovation of E-Mobility, which is beginning to pick up pace globally as a preferred choice of travel. Over 6.6 million electric vehicles were sold globally in 2021, which forms 9% of world car sales and this is expected to grow to 26.8 million by 2030.
African countries have a good chance of supporting the uptake of E-Mobility solutions as part of meeting their commitments to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This is because Africa has the market and good investment opportunities coupled with suitable environmental conditions (such as the sun). Currently, in Africa, E-mobility traction has been mostly centred around East-African countries such as Kenya and Rwanda which have transitioned by providing an Electric Vehicle (EV) policy since 2017, along with tax incentives associated with the use of E-mobility. Many believe that the clear adoption of E-mobility in these countries is directly linked to the early adoption of renewable energy facilitated by setting emission reduction goals as well as an enabling policy environment.
Nigeria has the largest population in Africa, with 216.7 million people as of 2022 and is expected to be one of the most populated countries in the world in the next five (5) years. Having the largest road network in West Africa measuring 195,000km, of which about 60,000 km are paved (2019), the need for travel within such a country is ever so important and we believe that E-Mobility has a huge role to play in future travel within Nigeria and also in meeting the emission reduction targets as stated in its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC).
Traditional Fuel cars need to refuel to be on the road, this also applies to E-Mobility as they need to be charged to go on the road. Infrastructure remains a critical component of EV adoption and without it, E-Mobility adoption in Nigeria will remain a mirage. Robust infrastructure is required for E-Mobility to thrive, to ensure that consumers have unhindered access to charging infrastructure, batteries as well as spare parts when they are needed. Also, infrastructure for EVs goes beyond a constant supply of electricity, E-Mobility has the ability to contribute significantly to the development of the transportation sector and the environment through the reduction of GHG emissions.
A survey carried out by Clean Technology Hub Nigeria, a pioneering Energy Innovation Centre in 2021 on the transition to E-Mobility highlighted the lack of infrastructure as a major hindrance to its adoption in the country. E-Mobility will not thrive in Nigeria without the proper infrastructure being put in place. Hence, there is a need to provide this infrastructure needed, including charging stations, batteries, spare parts, and solutions for energy access.
To address this challenge, Clean Technology Hub set up the Infrastructure Development working group as one of the five (5) working groups set to address the major identified challenges faced by the E-mobility sector and what can be done to improve its development in Nigeria.
Following a list of strategic engagements with industry experts and stakeholders, who are part of the working group, we have identified 6 focus areas for E-mobility infrastructure development in Nigeria. The 6 working areas were identified from thematic questions related to Nigeria in particular after carefully examining processes undertaken by other countries towards the adoption of EVs, as well as global best practices. The figure below gives an overview of the 6 focus areas.
Acknowledgement
This document was developed by the *Infrastructure Development working group of Clean Technology Hub (CTH) led by Dr Patrick Agese (Pam Africa) and supported by Ms Byencit Duncan, Research Analyst (E-mobility & Hydrogen) at CTH. The full report will be published by Q2 2022.