Ethiopia Launches Ambitious E-Mobility Strategy to Drive Clean Transport Transition

by Online Reporter

Ethiopia has officially launched its E-Mobility Strategy and Implementation Plan 2025–2030, a comprehensive roadmap aimed at accelerating the country’s transition to clean, efficient and sustainable transportation.

The strategy was unveiled during a high-level workshop in Addis Ababa, jointly organised by the Ministry of Transport and Logistics of Ethiopia, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy, and the World Resources Institute.

The event brought together government officials, development partners, city authorities, financial institutions, academics, private sector representatives and civil society organizations to discuss the strategy’s priorities and mobilize support for its implementation.

The Ethiopia E-Mobility Strategy 2025–2030 focuses on six key intervention areas: policy and regulatory reform, fleet transition, electric vehicle market development, charging infrastructure deployment, public transport electrification, and local capacity building.

The initiative aligns with Ethiopia’s efforts to reduce reliance on imported fossil fuels, which cost the country an estimated US$4 billion in 2023. It also leverages the nation’s renewable energy advantage, with more than 90 percent of its electricity generated from clean energy sources.

Electric vehicle adoption in Ethiopia has expanded rapidly, growing from approximately 7000 vehicles in 2023 to a projected 115000 by the end of 2026. Authorities believe the new strategy will help sustain and accelerate this momentum.

Speaking at the launch, Alemu Sime highlighted Ethiopia’s ambition to become one of Africa’s leading countries in clean transport.

He emphasized that the transition to electric mobility requires coordinated efforts among government institutions, the private sector, financial institutions, and civil society.

The minister also welcomed the recent endorsement of the Continental Framework on Electric Vehicles by the African Union, describing it as an important milestone for the continent’s transport transformation.

He expressed appreciation to ECA, ITDP, and WRI for their technical support in developing the strategy.Meanwhile, Melaku Alebel underscored the industrial opportunities presented by electric mobility.

He said the shift to electric transport would lower business costs and help Ethiopian industries meet increasingly stringent global carbon standards.

Alebel outlined five priority industrial initiatives: expanding local EV assembly and manufacturing, developing a battery ecosystem, establishing a dedicated EV technology and industrial park, implementing mandatory standards and accelerating the exploration of critical minerals such as lithium and sodium-ion resources to strengthen long-term economic competitiveness.

Representing ECA, Robert Lisinge highlighted the growing importance of electric vehicles across Africa.

He noted that ECA has contributed to the continental e-mobility agenda through a 26-country assessment of EV development, the creation of a model national roadmap, and research on electricity requirements and EV trade.

Lisinge further revealed that the 2026 edition of the Economic Report on Africa examines how frontier technologies, including electric vehicles, can drive economic transformation across the continent.The launch comes at a significant moment for Africa’s transport sector.

On April 30, 2026, the African Union Specialized Technical Committee on Transport and Energy endorsed the Continental Framework on Electric Vehicles in Africa, developed jointly by the African Union Commission, ECA, and the United Nations Environment Programme.

With the adoption of its national strategy, Ethiopia is positioning itself as one of the first countries to translate the continental framework into concrete national action, potentially serving as a model for other African nations pursuing sustainable mobility and green industrialization.

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