Domestication of the tech involved will allow the country to manufacture Nigerian-made electric vehicles.
The project would help address the many challenges affecting the transport and environmental sectors in Nigeria.
The Nigerian Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Israeli and Japanese companies to start assembling electric and smart automobiles by 2023.
The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) on Thursday in Abuja entered into partnership with the Israeli, Japanese and Nigerian companies.
Speaking at the event, the Executive Vice Chairman of NASENI, Professor Mohammed Haruna, said that the domestication of the technologies involved in the agreement will allow the country to manufacture Nigerian-made electrical vehicles in the nearest future.
“The first attempt to domesticate certain technologies in this country, especially in the automobile industry, has not worked with continuous importation.
“NASENI has come into this now with the perfect partners, Japanese and Israeli companies, their technologies are proven and known.
“But most importantly, Nigeria will not just be consuming this technology, we are here to make sure that we domesticate, produce and manufacture in Nigeria.
“We are grateful and we are happy with this collaboration and we assure Nigerians that the automobile industry after this collaboration will not be the same again,” he said.
Also speaking, Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria, Michael Freeman, said the partnership, would help address the many challenges affecting the transport and environmental sectors in Nigeria.
“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 the technology to ensure that the motorcycles are only used for legal and appropriate purposes.
“When we look at what the problems are in the world and in 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,” he explained.