FG pledges fresh support for Nigeria’s electric vehicle sector as EVAMAN elects new executives

FG pledges fresh support for Nigeria’s electric vehicle sector as EVAMAN elects new executives

The Nigerian government has reaffirmed its commitment to accelerating the growth of Nigeria’s electric vehicle (EV) industry, promising targeted policies focused on local content development, innovation, technology transfer, and industrial expansion.

The assurance was given at the inaugural meeting of the Electric Vehicle Assemblers and Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (EVAMAN) held in Abuja.

Speaking at the event, the Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology, Kingsley Udeh, stated that the government is determined to place Nigerian expertise, raw materials, and indigenous enterprises at the center of the nation’s industrial agenda.

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The Minister, who was represented by Mr. Ibiam Oguejiofor, National Coordinator for Presidential Executive Order No. 5, noted that the Order remains a strategic framework for strengthening indigenous capacity across science, engineering, and technology.

According to Udeh, the ministry is actively collaborating with various Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to deepen local content implementation in clean transportation, renewable energy, advanced manufacturing, and digital innovation.

“Our goal is clear: Nigerian talent, resources, technology, and enterprises must be central to our industrial future,” Udeh said, while pledging stronger policy coordination, research collaboration, and strategic partnerships to support the EV ecosystem.

A new era for EVAMAN

The meeting marked a major milestone for the association, transitioning from a caretaker leadership to a fully elected executive structure.

The newly elected President of EVAMAN, Mustapha Audu, disclosed that the association has officially secured Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) registration, strengthened its ties with key government institutions, and expanded its membership base to include manufacturers, assemblers, charging infrastructure providers, researchers, and investors.

Audu expressed strong optimism about the country’s potential, stating that Nigeria possesses the market size, technical talent, and growing innovation ecosystem required to become a continental leader in electric mobility.

Corroborating this view, the Director-General of the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), Zahrah Audu, reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to building an innovation-driven economy under the Renewed Hope Agenda. She emphasized that the EV industry holds the key to unlocking massive opportunities in manufacturing, logistics, infrastructure development, and youth employment.

Tackling sectoral bottlenecks

Despite the optimistic outlook, industry stakeholders at the meeting highlighted critical hurdles that must be crossed to achieve full-scale EV adoption in Nigeria.

Gift Agboro of Leke Services identified the major challenges slowing down the sector’s growth, which include limited access to affordable finance, inadequate charging infrastructure, weak regulatory standards and poor industry data.

Agboro called for lower lending rates and stronger coordination among stakeholders to bridge these gaps.

On a brighter note, private sector players are already making moves. Representatives of Oando Clean Energy, including Mr. Adeyemi Adebajo, shared updates on how the company is currently supporting Nigeria’s clean mobility ambitions through the deployment of electric buses and solar-powered energy solutions.

EVAMAN’s new leadership team

The inaugural meeting concluded with the election of a new executive council to steer the affairs of the association.

The new leadership team consists of:

With a fresh executive council and backing from the federal government, EVAMAN is positioned to drive the next phase of Nigeria’s green transportation transition.