Chinese Chery's $20 Million Commitment to Kenya's EV Market to Drive Regional Growth

Chinese Electric Vehicle (EV) manufacturer Chery has announced a partnership with Kenyan company Afrigreen Automobile, committing $20 million to Kenya's EV industry. This investment will fund the construction of an assembly plant in Nairobi, set to generate 3,000 direct and indirect jobs.

Nishant Mishra, Global Head of Future Mobility at Afrigreen Automobile, confirmed that the assembly operations will begin within a month, aiming to produce 5,000 to 6,000 vehicles annually. The production will serve both the Kenyan market and the broader COMESA region.

The Kenyan government is actively promoting the adoption of electric vehicles to reduce carbon emissions, enhance energy security, and stimulate economic growth. In April 2024, it unveiled a draft Electric Mobility Policy to facilitate the transition from internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles to electric mobility across all transport sectors, including road, rail, air, and maritime.

Abubakar Hassan Abubakar, Principal Secretary of the Ministry of Investments, Trade, and Industry, emphasized that the new assembly plant would contribute to greening the transport sector. He noted that Kenya currently has about 4,000 electric vehicles out of approximately 1.7 million cars on its roads.

Source: Abdullah Ajibade / Techpoint Africa