The Nigerian Federal Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Israeli and Japanese businesses to start assembling and producing green, electric, and smart cars by 2023.
On Thursday in Abuja, the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) partnered with Israeli, Japanese, and Nigerian businesses.
Michael Freeman, the Israeli ambassador to Nigeria, stated that the alliance, which combines Israeli, Japanese, and Nigerian technologies, would aid in addressing the numerous issues facing the country's transportation and environmental sectors.
“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.
“And here we are, having Israeli and Japanese companies coming together with Nigerian partners to provide cleaner, greener, newer, exciting technology that is expected to move people, population across the country.
“I believe that a programme that is going to start in Nigeria will be successful and will go across Africa,” Freeman said.
Prof. Mohammed Haruna, executive vice chairman of NASENI, praised the collaboration and predicted that it will become adopted throughout the nation.
According to Haruna, Nigeria would ensure the production of electrical vehicles built in Nigeria in the near future through the project.
With constant importation, the initial attempt to domesticate certain technology in this country, particularly in the automobile industry, has not been successful.
“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,” Haruna said.
Representative of Israeli Company, Peramare Enterprise, Dr Ayal Raz, said that against some perception, Nigeria was safe to invest.
“With this innovative idea, we believe is going to change so many things in the face of Nigeria.
“It will bring green energy which means cheaper cost of transport and we all know what that means for our people.
“It will give work to the people because it is industry, we are going to put a factory here, we will start with assembling then building. It will give us less pollution and greener air.
“Nigeria is safe to do business and by the special grace of God it is going to come during the first quarter of 2023,” Raz said.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO), SIXAI, and Japanese Partner Sasi Shilo, said that his company beyond production is keen on supporting the African continent, Nigeria build a sustainable nation with clean and safe technologies.
“It is very exciting moment. We have been working in the automobile industry for about half a decade, we have certified plants in fourteen different countries.
“We really want to contribute to African nation with our technology. What we want to bring is not only to produce but what we want to achieve is to support the African nation to be sustainable.
Through our products with safety and environmentally friendly features in our technology,” Sasi said.
Hon. Wadada Aliyu, Chairman, PAN Nigeria Limited, described the initiative as historic and a starting point for technological evolution in Nigeria.
“This is historic because Nigeria is conforming with the order of the day which is green environment and memorable because NASENI has set the ball rolling.
“This synergy between Israeli, Japan, NASENI and PAN as a facility where the assembling will be done, I think the sky will be a starting point of technological evolution in Nigeria,” Aliyu said.
The Nigerian company LINKSMAN International Ltd. assisted with the project.
According to Madisca Haruna, managing director of LINKSMAN International Ltd., the project aims to achieve Goal 7 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030, which aims to improve global cooperation and make access to sustainable energy research and technology easier.