KAMPALA, UGANDA – The Ugandan government has secured more than 3.4 trillion shillings ($920 million) in investments to establish a domestic e-mobility and high-tech manufacturing sector, according to an announcement made ahead of the 2025 National E-Mobility Expo.
The government’s plan, which aims to transform the country’s transport and technology landscape by 2030, includes 574 billion shillings already secured and an additional 2.8 trillion shillings committed over the next five years.
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Dr. Monica Musenero, the Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation, launched the expo and unveiled the 2024 E-Mobility Outlook Report. “Our policy is not just to access electric vehicles, it is to produce them and produce them here,” Musenero said. She identified three core pillars of the strategy: infrastructure development, investment attraction and human capital enhancement.
Uganda’s annual electric vehicle (EV) production capacity has grown from 2,000 units in 2021 to 10,000 units last year, led by the Kiira Vehicle Plant in Jinja. The country’s localization rate for components has also increased from under 10% in 2021 to 40% last year.
Musenero reaffirmed the government’s policy against the importation of used electric vehicles. She said that companies wishing to sell EVs in Uganda must manufacture them in the country to receive incentives, and they must meet a minimum of 65% local content to avoid reduced fiscal benefits.
The e-mobility sector has already attracted 617 billion shillings ($160 million) in investment and supports more than 10,000 direct and indirect jobs, according to the report. Key developments include:
- Annual production of 120 MWh of lithium-ion battery packs.
- More than 130 battery swapping stations deployed across the country.
- 30 DC fast chargers, with the energy ministry installing its first public station at Amber House.
Allan Muhumuza, the team lead at the STI-OP Mobility Bureau, framed the push for e-mobility as an economic necessity. He noted that Kampala loses more than 500 million shillings daily to fuel waste from traffic congestion. He also pointed out that Uganda spent 2.87 trillion shillings on imported secondhand vehicles last year, which he said erodes foreign exchange reserves and worsens public health.
Musenero said the government is prioritizing human capital, especially the country’s youthful population, to sustain innovation. “I must create jobs for them,” she said. “And the best way to do so is to ensure they are not left out of this new industrial revolution.”
Uganda’s long-term vision aims for the full electrification of public and motorcycle transport by 2030 and a majority of passenger vehicles by 2040. Fiscal incentives, including a 10-year income tax holiday and 0% VAT on EVs, remain in place to support local manufacturing.
