Nigeria and South Korea Build Africa's First EV Factory

Africa is about to get its first major electric vehicle factory, and it could change transportation across the continent forever.

Nigeria signed an agreement with South Korea's Asia Economic Development Committee on January 30, 2025, to build a full-scale EV manufacturing plant. The facility will produce 300,000 vehicles annually and create approximately 10,000 jobs once fully operational.

The deal was signed by Nigeria's Minister of State for Industry Senator John Enoh and AEDC Chairman Yoon Suk-hun. It marks a major shift for Nigeria, which currently imports up to 720,000 vehicles every year, with most being used cars.

The project starts with vehicle assembly and will expand to complete in-house manufacturing. Beyond just building cars, the partnership includes developing charging stations across Nigeria, solving one of the biggest obstacles to electric vehicle adoption in Africa.

Nigeria is backing up this factory announcement with real support programs. In December 2024, the government launched a 20 billion naira consumer credit program to help people buy locally made electric vehicles, motorcycles, and tricycles.

The Ripple Effect

This factory could spark a green transportation revolution across Africa. Right now, the entire continent has only about 30,000 electric vehicles, less than 1 percent of total car sales. Ethiopia leads with 100,000 EVs, while countries like Ghana, Morocco, and South Africa are just beginning their electric journeys.

The Nigeria plant addresses what's holding Africa back: high costs and missing infrastructure. By producing vehicles locally instead of importing them, prices should drop while quality jobs increase.

The timing aligns perfectly with Nigeria's National Energy Transition Plan and its automotive development goals. The country wants to stop depending on imports and start building its own green technology future.

Previous electric vehicle efforts in Nigeria were small pilot projects or partial assembly operations. This South Korean partnership is different because it's designed for large-scale production with complete manufacturing capabilities and nationwide charging networks.

For a continent facing climate challenges and rising fuel costs, homegrown electric vehicles offer a path toward cleaner air, energy independence, and thousands of manufacturing jobs that didn't exist before.