Addis Ababa, 25 May 2026 — The Ministry of Transport and Logistics of Ethiopia, in partnership with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP), and the World Resources Institute (WRI), today officially launched the Ethiopia E-Mobility Strategy and Implementation Plan 2025–2030, a comprehensive national roadmap to accelerate the country's transition to clean, efficient, and sustainable mobility.
The launch workshop, held at ECA’s Headquarters in Addis Ababa, brought together ministers, government institutions, development partners, city administrations, financial institutions, academia private sector actors, and civil society organizations to introduce the strategy's priorities and mobilize support for its implementation.
The Ethiopia E-Mobility Strategy 2025–2030 outlines priority actions across six intervention areas: policy and regulatory reform, fleet transition, EV market development, charging infrastructure deployment, public transport electrification, and local capacity building. It reflects Ethiopia's commitment to reducing dependence on imported fossil fuels, which cost the country approximately $4 billion in 2023, while leveraging its renewable energy advantage, with over 90% of national electricity generated from clean sources.
EV adoption in Ethiopia has grown rapidly, from 7,000 vehicles in 2023 to a projected 115,000 by end of 2026, signaling strong market momentum that the strategy is designed to accelerate and sustain.
Mr. Alemu Sime, Minister of Transport and Logistics, welcomed participants and underscored the strategic importance of the moment. He highlighted Ethiopia's progress in promoting electric mobility, noting the country's significant renewable energy advantage and its ambition to become one of Africa's leading nations in the transition to clean transport. The Minister outlined the strategy's key priorities, from policy and regulatory reform to charging infrastructure, public transport electrification, investment promotion, and local manufacturing, emphasizing that the transition to e-mobility is a shared national endeavor requiring coordinated action across government, the private sector, financial institutions, and civil society. He also acknowledged the continental significance of the launch, welcoming the African Union's recent endorsement of the Continental Framework on Electric Vehicles, and extended appreciation to ECA, ITDP, and WRI for their technical and advisory contributions to the development of the strategy.
Mr. Melaku Alebel, Minister of Industry, emphasized the industrial dimension of the transition, noting that shifting to electric transport structurally reduces the cost of doing business and positions Ethiopian industry to meet increasingly stringent global carbon standards. He highlighted five concrete industry-led initiatives: scaling local assembly and production, building a battery ecosystem, establishing a dedicated EV technology and industrial park, implementing mandatory standards, and fast-tracking exploration of Ethiopia's critical mineral reserves, including lithium and sodium ion, to secure long-term economic sovereignty.
Robert Lisinge, Director of the Technology, Innovation, Connectivity and Infrastructure Development Division at ECA, welcomed participants on behalf of Executive Secretary Claver Gatete and highlighted the growing role of electric vehicles across Africa. He outlined ECA's contributions to the continental e-mobility agenda, including a comprehensive 26-country review of EV development, the development of a model national roadmap, and ongoing studies on electricity requirements and EV trade across the continent. He also noted that the 2026 edition of the Economic Report on Africa explores the contribution of frontier technologies, including electric vehicles to economic transformation on the continent.
The launch takes place at a pivotal moment for e-mobility across Africa. On 30 April 2026, the African Union Specialized Technical Committee on Transport and Energy officially endorsed a new Continental Framework on Electric Vehicles in Africa, developed jointly by the African Union Commission, ECA, and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Ethiopia's national strategy now serves as an early model for translating that continental framework into national action.
Issued by:
Communications Section
Economic Commission for Africa
PO Box 3001
Addis Ababa
Ethiopia
Tel: +251 11 551 5826
E-mail: eca-info@un.org