Since switching to electricity, Dagim Girma no longer waits for hours in the endless queues of cars on the streets of Addis Ababa, which usually mark the entrance to petrol stations frequently affected by diesel shortages. “I save time and I no longer pay for fuel”sums up this thirty-something who, following the guidelines of the Ethiopian government, bought an electric car at the beginning of 2024.
In January, the Ministry of Transport and Logistics made a radical decision by banning all imports of petrol and diesel vehicles. By doing so, it is forcing Ethiopian drivers to adopt electric vehicles. A shocking world first: one in two inhabitants does not have access to electricity in Ethiopia. Behind this drastic regulation, “It is above all an economic strategy”says Yizengaw Yitayih, an expert at the ministry. “The decree should first help us rationalize our spending on foreign currency”explains the senior official.
Faced with a severe shortage of foreign currency, the country of 120 million people is seeking to reduce its dependence on gasoline imports, which will amount to more than 6 billion euros in 2023, according to government figures. “Forcing Ethiopians to switch to electric cars allows the government to kill two birds with one stone: reduce fuel imports and introduce a progressive environmental policy”explains Samson Berhane, an independent analyst based in Addis Ababa.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019, has long sought to build an image of himself as a defender of the environment. He is leading major campaigns of forced reforestation, promising in particular to plant 5 billion trees by 2024. He also inaugurated in 2022 the Grand Renaissance Dam on the Nile, the largest hydroelectric dam in Africa, which generates 1,550 megawatt-hours (MWh) of electricity today and 5,000 MWh in the long term. Ahmed is therefore keen to take advantage of this electricity, which is both green and cheap, estimated to be ten times cheaper than in France. But while he was quick to ban the import of petrol and diesel vehicles, the head of government does not seem to have prepared his country for the massive arrival of electric cars.
A country “not prepared for this transition”
“It is a premature decision. believes Samson Berhane. The country is not prepared for this transition. There is only one public charging station and two specialized workshops in the entire country. » Inventory is very scarce. Spare parts are still almost impossible to find. Drivers, left to their own devices, are left to fend for themselves. Some manage to transport their own batteries from the Gulf countries. Others consult video tutorials on the Internet to do DIY work on their vehicles. “Due to the lack of regulations, we see many cars from Chinese brands, sometimes unknown, for which it is even more difficult to find spare parts”says the analyst.
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