As part of its mandate to drive Nigeria’s industrialisation process, the National Agency for Science Engineering and Infrastructure (NASENI) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Israeli and Japanese companies to commence assembling and manufacturing of electric motorcycles in Nigeria.
According to the MoU which was signed in Abuja on Thursday, the partners will begin the production of environmentally friendly, green and smart motorcycles by the first quarter of 2023. The partners said the project would go long way in skills and capacity building, job creation as well as speed up Nigeria’s industrialisation process.
Isreali Ambassador to Nigeria, Michael Freeman, said the partnership which was a combination of Israeli, Japanese and Nigerian technologies would help address the many challenges affecting the transport and environmental sectors in Nigeria.
“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.
Executive vice chairman of NASENI, Prof. Mohammed Sani Haruna, lauded the collaboration which he said had come to stay and would be domesticated in the country.
Haruna said with the project, Nigeria would see to the manufacturing of electrical vehicles in the nearest future.
Dr Ayal Raz, Representative of Peramare Enterprise, a Nigerian company, said that against some perception, Nigeria was safe to invest.
Mr Takeshi Isaku, chief innovation officer, Musahi of Japan in his remarks said his company was keen on supporting the African continent and Nigeria to build a sustainable nation with clean and safe technologies.
Hon. Wadada Aliyu, chairman, PAN Nigeria Limited, noted that the project was a starting point for technological evolution in Nigeria.
