By BASHIR ADEFAKA
The inaugural Africa E-Mobility Conference and Exhibition, a cornerstone event within the larger Africa E-Mobility Week recently held in Lagos, Nigeria, has ended on a good note, marking a significant milestone in the continent’s transition towards sustainable, electric-powered transportation.
Themed, “Accelerating Green Transport Revolution: Powering the Future with Electric Vehicles”, the gathering enabled speakers to engage in discussions and transformative developments in the electric vehicle (EV) sector, as their discussions underscored the vital role EVs play in addressing environmental challenges and highlighted their potential to revolutionise the way Africans commute and transport goods.
The well attended conference with over 250 online registrations: 125 in-person attendees and 100 online participants paraded an impressive gathering of industry leaders, innovators, policy. makers, and entrepreneurs who converged on the Center of Excellence to explore, discuss and champion the tremendous potential of electric mobility in Africa.
With clamour for a greener planet, the conference provided an essential platform for stakeholders to address crucial challenges and advocate for the adoption of sustainable mobility solutions.
Clean Technology Hub, the driving force behind this momentous event, played a pivotal role in orchestrating the groundbreaking conference
Sponsored by the African Climate Foundation (ACF), Drive Electric Campaign and Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) and supported by the Energy Transition Plan (ETP), Africa E-mobility Alliance (AfEMA), Techbuild Africa and Tech Economy, the organisers noted that the conference became imperative with the pressing need to combat climate change and provide alternatives to petrol-run vehicles and that, given the skyrocketing fuel prices in Nigeria, the adoption of EVs has gained paramount importance. .
The conference featured informative panels on sustainable living, green energy solutions, and the rise of EVs in Africa. Among them were Tolu Williams, Chief Procurements and Technical Officer (CPTO) at Siltech; Bode Bamgboye, CFO of Oando Clean Energy Limited (OCEL); Mustapha Gajibo, CEO/MD of Phoenix Renewables; Adetayo Bamiduro, CEO of Max; Idris Rufai, CEO of Hamster Energy; Monsurah Oluwafuyi, CEO of HerRyde on the first panel.
Also, at the gathering were Temitope Akinyemi, Principal Specialist, Project Preparation and Investment Facilitation at Energy Transition Office (ETO), Tolulope Olukokun, CEO of Thinkbikes; Chimereze Nwosu, Advisor, Sustainable Energy Access (On-& Off-Grid) at Nigerian Energy Support Programme (NESP); Olabanjo Alimi, Group Head Renewable Energy (Digital) and Transport (Mobility) at Sterling Bank; Lawal Gada, Facilitator of EV Development Project at National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC).
Throwing more light on perspectives of this initiative, attendees were treated to a comprehensive range of insights, covering policy and regulation, technology innovation, financing, and infrastructure development within the EV sector.
During presentations, GreenMax Capital Advisors spoke on upscaling local currency lending for energy access while Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) threw light on understanding the electric mobility opportunity in Nigeria. E-mobility in Africa by the Africa E-mobility Alliance (AfEMA), Role of Research Institutions in E-mobility Adoption by the National Centre for Energy Efficiency and Conservation (NCEEC) at the University of Lagos, and E-mobility stakeholder mapping in Nigeria by Nigeria Off-grid Market Acceleration Programme (NOMAP) were particularly enlightening.
As Africa E-Mobility Week Nigeria wrapped up its inaugural conference, the energy and enthusiasm generated are set to propel Africa’s electric mobility industry to new horizons.
Attendees left with a revived sense of purpose and an enduring dedication to a sustainable future for transportation across the continent.
The prevailing atmosphere of cooperation and inventive thinking experienced throughout the week reaffirms the organizers’ belief in Africa’s readiness for a revolution in eco-friendly transportation.
