Electric vehicles key to build climate change resilient economy: MoTL

Addis Ababa, September 26, 2022 (FBC) – Minister of Transport and Logistics, Dagmawit Moges, stated that efforts are underway to transform the transportation and logistics services with plug-in electric system in Ethiopia to build an economy that is resilient to climate change.

Speaking at a forum themed “Encouraging Healthy Transportation”, held at Bahir Dar University, Minister of MoTL, Dagmawit Moges, remarked that severe droughts, flashfloods, other catastrophic problems in the world are occurring due to climate change.

She said that, since the transport and logistics sector is dependent on fuel energy, it is one of the primary causes of climate change crisis.

She stressed that the transport and logistics sector in the country has been dependent on fuel energy for ages and continues to suffer from foreign currency and air pollution problems.

To solve this crisis, a 10 year strategy is being implemented in transforming vehicles, trains and other transport services into plug-in electric system, she said, mentioning the exemplar Addis Ababa City light rail and Addis-Djibouti train transports.

Bahir Dar University has designed a curriculum to support the efforts to implement the strategy by producing skilled manpower, stated Frew Tegegne (PhD), president of the University.

Investors of electric vehicles (EV)- including athlete Haile Gebre-Selasse, academics and federal government officials participated in the forum.