The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Japanese, Israeli and Nigerian companies to set up an electric car assembly and manufacturing plant by 2023.
Speaking during the MoU signing ceremony in Abuja, NASENI’s Executive Vice Chairman/CEO, Prof. Mohammed Haruna, explained that the signing of the pact implied that Nigeria would be domesticating the technologies involved in the agreement.
Haruna, who lamented failed attempts at domesticating some forms of technologies, especially automobile which had failed to achieve the desired goal due to unbridled vehicle importation, commended the foreign companies on the collaboration, said that the dream to locally manufacture automobiles would be realized after all.
He said: “The first attempt to domesticate certain technologies in this country, especially in the automobile industry, has not worked with continuous importation.
“NASENI has come into this now with the perfect partners, Japanese and Israeli companies, their technologies are proven and known.
“But most importantly, Nigeria will not just be consuming this technology, we are here to make sure that we domesticate, produce and manufacture in Nigeria. We are grateful and we are happy with this collaboration and we assure Nigerians that the automobile industry after this collaboration will not be the same again”, the scientist added.
Speaking during the signing ceremony, the Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria, Michael Freeman, said that the partnership, which will help to combine Israeli, Japanese and Nigerian technologies, would help address the many challenges affecting the transport and environmental sectors in Nigeria.
The Ambassador said: “It is a project that is a partnership with Israeli, Japanese and Nigerian companies taking place in Nigeria.
“What is special about this project is that it is a timely project that combines Israeli technologies, Japanese technologies, Nigerian entrepreneurship and innovation together to create a project that is going to work fabulously.
“We are talking about bringing electronic motorcycles into Nigeria which will be a programme that is green, environmentally friendly.
“It offers people a cheap way and safe way of transport and even has a technology to ensure that the motorcycles are only used for legal and appropriate purposes.
“When we look at what the problems are in the world and in also in Africa and in Nigeria, we are talking about issues of fuel scarcity, we are talking about green technology, we are talking about the need to provide cleaner, cheaper, easier transport”, Freeman added.
