United States Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade, Marisa Lago, has made a case for increased investment in supportive infrastructure for robust adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) in Nigeria.
She made the appeal, yesterday, at the Microsoft Garage Electric Vehicle Hackathon in Lagos.
The envoy insisted that the availability of charging stations is a major aspect of the enabling environment for an EV industry to thrive.
The American noted: “But, there is a chicken-and-egg conundrum since companies are not likely to invest in charging infrastructure until there’s a critical mass of EV drivers. Equally, individuals will be reluctant to buy EVs until there is a reasonable recharging infrastructure.
“The innovative energy in Lagos, and especially here at the Microsoft Garage, is palpable. And the results that flow from this energy won’t benefit just Nigeria, as ideas originated here inevitably grow beyond the Garage’s walls and Nigeria’s borders. You will have an impact on the world.”
Lago, who doubles as U.S attorney, stated that in addition to advancing EV technology, there was a need to equip the workforce with the education and skills necessary to support the growth of the industry.
According to her, a skilled workforce can fill the employment opportunities generated by the growth of the sector, positioning Nigeria as a regional hub for manufacturing, maintenance and technology development.
She said the Biden-Harris administration was committed to combating the climate crisis and viewed EVs as critical technologies to facilitate the clean energy transition and create new jobs in the process.
“To state the obvious, the transition to EVs presents a tremendous opportunity to drive innovation in the automotive sector and provide good paying jobs for Nigerians, while simultaneously addressing climate change and reducing dependence on fossil fuels. Now that is a virtuous cycle.
The reality, though, is that, to fully realise this potential, we must identify and overcome the barriers that are standing in our way. Today’s discussion and the work undertaken throughout the hackathon will illuminate the challenges and generate novel solutions,” Lago added.
