His Excellency expresses happiness with migration efforts to renewable energy & a reduction of environmental pollution
President Yoweri Museveni has today received a group of innovators and manufacturers that will spearhead the transition of the country from the use of fossil fuels to E-Mobility.
The group that was led by the Minister of Science and Technology Dr Musenero included private sector players, University researchers on E-Mobility, financiers as well as service delivery players
President Museveni highly commended the group for their efforts in fabricating and manufacturing vehicles and pikipikis here in the country. He noted that this will not only promote the use of clean energy and stop pollution but will also in the long run provide cheaper vehicles.
“We don’t want to hear of assembling, assembling is out of date. So on one hand we will use clean energy and stop pollution and on the other hand, we are now finding out that electric vehicles are cheaper in the long run,” he noted.
President Museveni noted that the move will shift the country from the use of fuel energy to electric clean energy that will involve big buses with a sitting capacity of 90 passengers and minibuses as well as electric pikipikis.
He said this will also decongest the city that is flooded with small vehicles as well as bodabodas as commuters will abandon their cars in favour of the buses whose fares will be pocket friendly.
President Museveni however pointed out that although Uganda will be processing its oil in a few years to come this will not stop the effort of having clean energy. He added that the oil will be used for textiles, polyesters, plastics, aviation fuel and fertilizers among others.
He therefore strongly encouraged members of the group to move into the sectors of fabricating and manufacturing adding that the only challenge now is the manufacture of electric batteries that must be manufactured in the country as all the required materials are available. He pledged government support in this endeavour.
“Batteries now is a very crucial step. We shall give you all the support,” he assured members of the group. “In the medium term we shall have to make the batteries here, so I am very glad to hear that there is somebody among you who is already involved in electric batteries,” the President noted.
President Museveni disclosed that the government will soon develop a vertically integrated Industry in steel manufacturing as the country has a high grade of iron ore,70% pure, the best in the world next to that of Peru which is only 58 %.