00:05For about a decade, the Nordic EV Summit has been a major global platform promoting
00:11electric mobility and zero emission transport.
00:15And now with the launch of the Nordic Africa EV Summit here in Addis Ababa, that experience
00:21is coming to Africa.
00:23In his opening address, Ethiopia's transport minister emphasized that while European
00:30and Nordic frameworks offer critical blueprints, Africa must forge an independent roadmap tailored
00:36strictly to its own structural demands.
00:40Africa must develop electric mobility solutions that respond to African realities.
00:46Africa should not become a collection of disconnected EV markets.
00:51We need compatible standards, charging systems, payment platforms and communication technologies
00:59that can support cross-border mobility, regional trade and investment.
01:05Participants emphasize the importance of regional integration among African countries to allow
01:11technology and investment to move across borders.
01:14Ethiopia, South Africa, Morocco are moving towards manufacturing EVs.
01:22They should take advantage of the African continental free trade area, which is one huge market,
01:29which those countries that are taking the lead in electric vehicles manufacturing can benefit from.
01:39The need for robust financing of the electric mobility sector has been one of the key discussions during the summit.
01:46The fact that the sector is still relatively new posed a challenge for financial institutions.
01:52If you are to finance a normal manufacturer of traditional vehicles, there's a lot of historical data, a lot of
02:00policies.
02:01This is new. So from a finance perspective, there's some learning that needs to be done.
02:06However, the technology is now starting to be proven.
02:09In places like in China, I think 50% of the vehicles in China are EVs, so there's a body
02:15of knowledge there.
02:16We can learn a lot how Chinese manufacturers and Chinese finances are working together.
02:21The summit's organizers hope the event will help African governments and stakeholders
02:26look beyond bringing more electric vehicles onto its roads.
02:30You need to find a way to build a charging infrastructure that works.
02:34You need more energy reliability on the grid.
02:37There is such a need for industrial stakeholders to come in on this young emerging space,
02:42not only in Ethiopia, but in all the other African 54 countries.
02:45And there, I believe that Nordic, European, academia, research industry, policymakers,
02:53and other stakeholders in the mobility space could be a part of this very important journey for Africa.
02:58As the three-day summit concluded on Wednesday, organizers say they are already looking toward COP32,
03:05the UN climate conference set to be hosted in Addis Ababa in 2027,
03:09hoping to keep the continent's electric mobility on the world's agenda.
03:15National Intelligence
03:16National Intelligence
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