East Africa is driving forward electromobility. Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, and Rwanda are setting climate-friendly standards. This is shown by a study conducted by the Berlin-based think tank Agora Verkehrswende.

In Ethiopia, no new cars with petrol or diesel engines have been allowed to be imported since 2024. Accordingly, electric vehicles accounted for 60 percent of all new registrations this year. Kenya is focusing on two-wheelers. The number of electric motorcycles and pedelecs has more than doubled since 2023. This has been made possible by one thousand new battery swap stations and a growing network of charging points. In Rwanda, at least in the capital Kigali, commercial combustion-engine motorcycles have not been permitted since 2025. Uganda aims to achieve at least 30 percent electric new registrations by 2030 and to allow only zero-emission vehicles from 2040 onward. The government is supporting this development through tax incentives. In Tanzania, out of around 1.5 million motorized vehicles, approximately 5,000 are currently electric. However, even here – still without political requirements – workshops and production facilities for electrically powered vehicles are increasingly being established. Political framework conditions are currently being developed.

Especially with regard to raw materials for electromobility, Tanzania has great development potential. The country possesses one of the world’s largest graphite deposits; lithium and cobalt are also available in large quantities, as they are in Rwanda. In Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda, deposits of relevant metals and rare earths are also suspected. Exploration is still at an early stage. East African countries also offer excellent conditions for supplying electric vehicles with green electricity. The share of renewable energy in electricity generation already exceeds 50 percent in Uganda and Rwanda. In Kenya, the share is almost 90 percent, and in Ethiopia electricity is generated 100 percent from renewable sources, so far mainly from hydropower.
The five East African countries aim to establish electromobility nationwide while at the same time strengthening their economic independence.