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The National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC) to ink a working relationship with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), to set up Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging stations as part of efforts to support projects on sustainable economic growth and human development in Nigeria.
The UNDP is headquartered in New York and it is the United Nations’ largest development aid agency with offices in 170 countries.
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The UNDP/NADDC partnership is the outcome of a crucial meeting between the automotive council led by its Director General, Mr. Jelani Aliyu and delegates from the UNDP at the NADDC head office in Abuja this week. The UNDP team was led by Operations Analyst, Sally Musa.
The meeting focused on partnership between the NADDC and the UNDP on setting up EV charging stations as part of empowerment schemes for millions of Nigerians.
NADDC and UNDP teams during the visit to the NADDC in Abuja
“Vehicle electrification is inevitable, the NADDC is very rapidly shifting attention to it, and we are working towards achieving its comprehensive and sustainable adoption in Nigeria,” said Aliyu.
According to him NADDC is also working assiduously towards developing a unique, yet highly applicable Electric Vehicle that would be in tune with the economic structure of Nigeria. He showcased the design of the vehicle to the UNDP team.
Aliyu also highlighted the NADDC’s establishment of 100% Solar Powered EV Charging Stations at Usman Danfodio University, Sokoto, University of Lagos and University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
Musa, who expressed her excitement over the NSADC’s achievements and unique highly technical programmes, assured that the UNDP would collaborate with the Council to establish EV charging stations, and also in the area of training programmes to further empower Nigerian youths, adding that more UN agencies and other international organizations would like to key into the very many projects of NADDC.
Sally and her team were shown the EV Fast Charger for the Jet Mover Electric Van at the Council. The van is a 100% Electric Vehicle manufactured by an indigenous automotive company: Jet Systems Motors.
Mr Jelani had also highlighted other major achievements, programmes and projects of NADDC which included establishment of three Laboratory Test Centres at Kaduna, Lagos and Enugu, to ensure global standards of made-in-Nigeria vehicles, work on three Automotive Industrial Parks at Nnewi, Oshogbo and Kaduna, as well as Construction of 18 Automotive Training Centres across the nation, establishment of three Pilot Automotive Service Hubs.
Others are construction of Automotive Design Studio and R&D facility in Zaria, Development of NADDC Auto Finance Scheme where producers/assemblers can tap into for expansion of their facilities while the public can access credit for patronage, thereby stimulating demand and encouraging more local production,
Sally, who later drove the KONA EV, was amazed with the design, performance and features of the Electric Vehicle.
