The federal government has promised to increase local content in automobile industry manufacturing in the country to 30 per cent.

The Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, John Enoh stated this at the launch of electric vehicles for transportation by New Electric Vehicles (NEVs) in Abuja, at the weekend,

“If you look at Mr. President’s eight-point agenda, agenda seven speaks to the mandate of the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, and that is the diversification of our economy through industry, through digitilisation, through creative arts, through manufacturing and through innovation.

“Those milestones, the first is to increase the local content of locally manufactured vehicles by about 30 per cent, to see whether we’ll be able to produce locally at least one million vehicles. I mean, to see how we can increase the number of jobs that are available in this sector to about 200,000.

“And most of all, to see how we can increase the local production of electric vehicles by 30 per cent,” he added.

He congratulated EVs for their disruptive innovation, adding: “Yes, electric vehicles are the future. But that future starts today. We must promote that future today and try to make sure that we achieve it.”

The Minister of Science, Innovation, and Technology, Uche Nnaji praised the initiative, and emphasised the government’s commitment to support local manufacturing and sustainable energy.

“We have lithium in abundance here in Nigeria, so Mr. President is already doing it. We are doing value addition to our raw materials. So, the lithium we have here, will be processed and used as a battery for this vehicle,” he stated.

He also spoke concerning power supply, highlighting ongoing efforts to expand renewable energy infrastructure.

“Today, if you look at our budgets, we have what is called mini-grid all over the place. In less than three or four months, you start seeing our hospitals, our institutions being powered by solar.

“Again, we are saving the environment, we are putting in a non-carbon emission infrastructure. So we are creating power everywhere.”

The founder and CEO of NEVs, Mosope Olaosebikan emphasised the company’s commitment to drive sustainable mobility in Nigeria and Africa.

“Tonight is more than just a product launch. It’s a revolution, a disruption, a declaration to the world that Africa is not waiting for the future. We are building it, charging it, and driving it ourselves,” Olaosebikan added.

According to him, their major challenge was people’s perception about EVs and the sustainability of the industry.

The Executive Vice Secretary (EVC) of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), Khalil Suleiman, promised NEVs the necessary support needed to sustain the electric vehicles industry in Nigeria. (THISDAY)