The Ugandan government has given the go-ahead for a project whereby electric vehicles will be commercially produced.

As reported by Fin24, the East African nation is working on the initiative though Kiira Motors Corporation (KMC) – a joint venture between the government and Makerere University in Kampala.

The project is at the forefront of African innovation in the electric vehicles industry, and aims to encourage businesses to invest capital in the production of vehicle parts. It also seeks to increase the demand for natural resources and create more than 2 000 direct jobs.

According to the KMC website, the company designed Africa’s first electric car in 2011, followed by the continent’s first hybrid car in 2014, and a solar bus in 2016. Paul Isaac Musasizi, KMC CEO, says the electric cars have been built with a belief that electric public mobility technology will not only foster growth but offer a solution to the increasing rate of pollution resulting from the import of third-rate cars from developed countries.

25 April 2018
Image: Kiira Motors Corporation