Nigeria and Israel and Japan have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to begin manufacturing and assembling eco-friendly, green, electric, and smart vehicles next year.

The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) entered into partnership with the Israeli, Japanese, and Nigerian companies in Abuja on Thursday.

Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria, Michael Freeman, said the partnership which was a combination of Israeli, Japanese and Nigerian technologies would help address the many challenges affecting the transport and environmental sectors in Nigeria.

He said: “It is a project that is a partnership with Israeli, Japanese, and Nigerian companies taking place in Nigeria.

“What is special about this project is that it is a timely project that combines Israeli technologies, Japanese technologies, Nigerian entrepreneurship, and innovation together to create a project that is going to work fabulously.

“We are talking about bringing electronic Motorcycles into Nigeria which will be a programme that is green, environmentally friendly.

“It offers people a cheap way and safe way of transport and even has a technology to ensure that the motorcycles are only used for legal and appropriate purposes.

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“When we look at what the problems are in the world and also in Africa and in Nigeria, we are talking about issues of fuel scarcity, we are talking about green technology, we are talking about the need to provide cleaner, cheaper, easier transport.

“And here we are, having Israeli and Japanese companies coming together with Nigerian partners to provide cleaner, greener, newer, exciting technology that is expected to move people, population across the country.

“I believe that a programme that is going to start in Nigeria will be successful and will go across Africa.”

The vice chairman of NASENI, Prof. Mohammed Haruna, applauded the collaboration which he said had come to stay and would be domesticated in Nigeria.

He said through the project, Nigeria would see to the manufacturing of Nigerian-made electrical vehicles in the nearest future.

Representative of Israeli Company, Peramare Enterprise, Dr Ayal Raz, noted that despite wrong perception about Nigeria, it is still safe to invest.

“With this innovative idea, we believe is going to change so many things in the face of Nigeria.

“It will bring green energy which means cheaper cost of transport and we all know what that means for our people.

“It will give work to the people because it is industry, we are going to put a factory here, we will start with assembling the building. It will give us less pollution and greener air.

“Nigeria is safe to do business and by the special grace of God it is going to come during the first quarter of 2023,” Raz said.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO), SIXAI, and Japanese Partner Sasi Shilo, said the company was willing to support Nigeria and Africa build a sustainable, clean, and safe technologies.

On his part, the Chairman, PAN Nigeria Limited, Wadada Aliyu, described the initiative as historic and a starting point for technological evolution in Nigeria.

The Star