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China-Africa Trade Information Service
info.afrindex.com
China-Africa Trade Information Service
Image from Quanta Consulting
Officials from the UN Environment Program (UNEP) said that Chinese companies and governments have taken the lead in cooperating with Kenyan authorities to promote the use of clean vehicle technology in Kenya.
Jane Akumu, program officer in charge of Air Quality and Mobility Unit at the Economic Division of UNEP, said through its work with Chinese authorities, progress is being made locally and regionally to introduce cleaner city transport technologies in Africa.
"We are collaborating with China. China is looking for partnerships on how to implement some of these technologies through awareness creation," Akumu told.
Chinese electrical cars and motorcycle maker TAILG announced recently in Nairobi its plans to donate electric cars and motorcycles to African city authorities to be used in pilot studies ahead of possible introduction of the more technologically efficient vehicles for city transport.
The Chinese firm is presently engaged in efforts to increase the ownership of electric bicycles and other two-wheelers as a strategy to reduce the consumption of oil, which leads to greenhouse gas emissions.
According to Akumu, the UNEP is currently encouraging governments to use tax measures to promote the use of clean technologies.
She said those discussions are focused on how the Chinese manufacturers could engage in producing the vehicle sensor systems to detect carbon emissions from all types of fuels used in cars in developing countries. These would be mounted on the vehicles to monitor carbon emissions.
In Kenya, the Chinese firm has partnered with the County government of Kisumu in western Kenya, to introduce an initial 50 electric motorbikes with plans to introduce other more technology efficient vehicles and street lighting using solar technology to reduce the consumption of fossil fuels.
