About BOOST
Unleash the job creation potential of the e-mobility sector in Africa
The BOOST Project is a collaborative effort between the GIZ’s Special Initiative on Training and Job Creation, the GIZ’s initiative on Decent Work for a Just Transition, and the Urban Electric Mobility Initiative (UEMI). This project aims to uncover untapped job creation potential in the e-mobility sector in Africa through a sequenced approach, forming an outcome chain for holistic, sustainable, and good job creation and development in this crucial sector.
Collaborative Efforts
The BOOST Project’s transformative potential lies in cultivating an enabling environment, building strategic partnerships, and offering crucial support to companies, contributing to sustainable growth and job creation in the e-mobility sector. The project involves engaging with local academic actors, training bodies, and companies for co-development.
Key partnerships include:
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Regional Platform for Electric Mobility for Africa: Co-hosted by SOLUTIONSplus and UNEP.
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UN-Habitat Urban Living Lab Collaborating Center: Partner universities involved.
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Start-ups: Engaged in SOLUTIONSplus and SESA projects.
Partnerships with local entrepreneurs, industry, and technical experts will be established to initiate new or improved business concepts that contribute to the local economy, create jobs, and foster sustainable development and climate action. Linkages with educational and vocational training institutions ensure knowledge and skills transfer, creating an ecosystem for change. These collaborations aim to drive the project’s goals and promote sustainable development and climate action through innovative business concepts.
Local Job Creation: Engaging local actors in co-development to unlock job creation potentials.
Sustainable Development: Fostering sustainable development and climate action through innovative business concepts.
Training and Skills Transfer Establishing connections with educational and vocational institutions to ensure continuous knowledge and skills transfer.
Partnerships
Building strong partnerships with local entrepreneurs, industry experts, and technical professionals to drive the project’s goals.
Main aims of the project
Support companies to get trained future staff matching the needs of the e-mobility sector
Identify the training opportunities for imparting e-mobility technical training at universities in the line with the needs of the companies/ startups in the sector
Develop a trained workforce ready for employment by the e-mobility companies/ startups in general
Document the learnings for future scale-up actions in the region
Project Activities
The following is a non-exhaustive list of the various activities that will be a part of the BOOST project.
Courses
Technical training courses shaped with and by companies targeted at students – the companies future staff
Workshops
Workshops for companies to identify business models applicable in your country and in Africa
Opportunities
Opportunities to connect with other e-mobility companies to develop in-house skills for peer-to-peer learning
Participation
Participation in key regional and local e-mobility events to share knowledge and experience
Morocco
Morocco's transport sector is vital for economic development but heavily reliant on fossil fuels, leading to high CO2 emissions. The country is an early producer of electric vehicles in Africa and aims to expand this sector by improving e-mobility policies, charging infrastructure, and consumer incentives. Existing measures include tax exemptions, reduced duties, and stricter emission standards, with a national strategy targeting low-emission transport by 2050. Despite a slow uptake, Morocco plans significant investments in EV manufacturing and infrastructure, including a $6.4 billion Gigafactory and the installation of 2,500 charging stations by 2026. Developing a skilled workforce for EV maintenance and production is crucial, with the e-mobility sector expected to create jobs in manufacturing, renewable energy, logistics, and smart mobility solutions. The country aims to lead in decarbonised automotive supply chains and foster sustainable mobility through various initiatives and policies.
Rwanda's Push Towards E-Mobility
Rwanda's push towards e-mobility addresses pressing environmental and economic concerns stemming from traditional transportation methods. With Vision 2050 aiming for carbon neutrality and the National Strategy for Transformation prioritizing transport infrastructure, Rwanda is committed to sustainable mobility. However, challenges such as rising greenhouse gas emissions and the dominance of motorcycles persist. Government policies promoting low-carbon transport and electric vehicle adoption, alongside initiatives like BasiGo, Ampersand, and Kabisa, underscore Rwanda's transition. Despite these efforts, the shortage of skilled professionals remains a hurdle, with workshops and garages struggling to service and maintain electric vehicles and hybrid EVs due to a lack of skilled professionals.
Skill Development in the Electric Mobility Sector
To address this, the organisations GIZ, UEMI, and PEM Motion are fostering a pilot project aimed at creating a more skilled workforce through inclusive and quality job creation in e-mobility in Rwanda. The initiative focuses on supporting private companies that require skilled personnel and collaborating with public and private training institutions that offer relevant curriculums and vocational courses. By connecting young graduates and qualified job seekers with the innovative e-mobility sector, Rwanda can become a leader in sustainable mobility on the African continent. Target groups include students in their final year of education, current qualified job seekers, and individuals aiming to enter the e-mobility sector.
Role of TVET and Continued Reforms
In education, Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) plays a crucial role in tackling youth unemployment, but issues like high dropout rates and gender disparities persist, highlighting the need for continued reforms and investments. Initiatives like SUL Mobility's training programs and the concerted efforts of the pilot project aim to bridge the skills gap and support Rwanda's ambitious e-mobility goals.
Ghana
Ghana is eyeing a transition to electric mobility by 2070 to slash its transportation-related carbon emissions, currently accounting for 37% of CO2 produced. Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs), especially compact models, offer a promising solution, potentially curbing air pollution and saving lives in urban areas. Globally, BEVs are gaining traction, fueled by fiscal incentives and government commitments, notably in China. However, Ghana faces infrastructure gaps and consumer reluctance due to cost concerns. Policies promoting EVs struggle with high import taxes and limited public awareness. Nevertheless, stakeholders, including government bodies and private enterprises, are spearheading initiatives to accelerate EV adoption and infrastructure development, heralding a nascent yet promising electric mobility sector in the country.
Events and Courses
Kick-off meeting and General Training / Morocco
April
2024
The kick-off training in Morocco established initial interactions with project stakeholders, explained project goals, understood target groups' needs in promoting e-mobility job opportunities, assessed their willingness to cooperate, and identified synergies.
BOOST Courses
April
2024
This unique program is your gateway to mastering the electric mobility and charging infrastructure sector. Dive into a comprehensive curriculum that blends online learning with in-class instruction, enriched by real-world experiences, start-up and industry interactions.
April 2024: Lay the foundations with an in-depth overview of electric mobility, its role in sustainable urban transport, and regional insights into the e-mobility landscape.
BOOST Courses / Business Model Development
April
2024
Where: Africa Centre of Excellence in Transport, Logistics and Smart Cities (ACTEL), University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda
Students participating in this masterclass will be able to:
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Understand the concept of business models.
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Appreciate the need for business models.
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Learn about the various tools used in developing business models.
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Experiment with developing some business models.
Kick-off meeting and General Training / Ghana
May
2024
In Ghana, the BOOST Project's kick-off training introduced university students to sustainable transport concepts and e-mobility job opportunities, with 52 shortlisted from 148 registrants. The event featured expert talks and brainstorming sessions where participants developed innovative solutions like integrated EV mechanic training and deploying charging infrastructure. These sessions highlighted the importance of creating sustainable jobs and showcased the students' innovation in addressing e-mobility challenges.
BOOST Courses
May
2024
This unique program is your gateway to mastering the electric mobility and charging infrastructure sector. Dive into a comprehensive curriculum that blends online learning with in-class instruction, enriched by real-world experiences, start-up and industry interactions.
May 2024: Explore advanced battery technologies, covering manufacturing, management, and sustainable practices.
BOOST Event
August
2024
Tinyuka Taxi Moto Graduation Ceremony - August 2024
In August 2024, Ampersand hosted the Tinyuka Taxi Moto graduation ceremony, celebrating a pioneering group of women entering the moto-taxi industry. The event featured inspiring speeches and highlighted the importance of gender diversity in sustainable transportation. The graduates, motivated by strong community support, are now ready to lead the way for more women to join this sector.
BOOST Event
September
2024
BOOST and Ampersand partner to empower women in Electric Mobility
BOOST has teamed up with Ampersand to support its upcoming "TTM3" cohort, aimed at training 100 women in electric motorcycle driving and essential skills like language, self-defense, and customer service. BOOST plans to fund part of the driver licensing and insurance costs to make it easier for women to enter the sector.
BOOST Courses
September
2024
University of Rwanda hosts workshop on Light Electric Vehicle Solutions
On September 9, 2024, students at the University of Rwanda participated in a workshop led by UEMI, who introduced light electric vehicle solutions from the Solutions Plus project.
During the workshop students developed business cases focusing on specific areas or streets in Kigali. Each team proposed a light electric vehicle solution for either logistics or passenger transport, calculating operational costs, driver salaries, and the potential social, ecological, and economic impacts for the city.
The workshop gave students hands-on experience in sustainable mobility and its benefits for Kigali.
BOOST Courses
October
2024
UEMI Engages Cadi Ayyat University and ENA Marrakech Students for Job Opportunities in E-Mobility
In an October 2024 working session held in Marrakech, UEMI connected with 48 students from Cadi Ayyat University, guided by Professors Chennani and Belkhayat, and the École Nationale d'Architecture, led by Rim Afa. The session offered concrete job opportunities within Morocco’s growing e-mobility sector, supporting students in their transition to the workforce and contributing to sustainable urban mobility initiatives across the region.
BOOST Courses
October
2024
KNUST Commences Electric Vehicle Competence Certification Programme
The Brew Hammond Energy Centre and the Department of Mechanical Engineering, KNUST in collaboration with the Urban Electric Mobility Initiative (UEMI) and other implementing partners is excited to introduce the maiden KNUST Electric Vehicle Technician Certification Program, under Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and UEMI’s BOOST Project on boosting e-mobility jobs in Africa. This three-leveled program, aimed at educating and equipping young people with essential knowledge and skills in operating, maintaining, troubleshooting and using electric vehicles, is the first-ever Electric Vehicle certification training program in Ghana and in Sub-Saharan Africa. Participants after completing the Level 1 training (Electric Vehicle Awareness Training) and a mandatory 6-months internship will be promoted to the Level 2 (High Voltage EV Technician Training), and subsequently to Level 3 (High Voltage EV & Battery Technician Training). Participants are also required to complete mandatory 3-months internship after both Level 2 and Level 3. The Level 1 details a comprehensive introduction to Electric Vehicles (EV), the need for EVs and its landscape in Ghana. More training is given on Battery Electric Vehicles and Hybrid Electric Vehicles. Trainees are also taken through safety, preventive and corrective maintenance as well emergency response guide in case of any accident involving the EV. Auto-electricals and the usage of diagnostic tool in troubleshooting is another topic covered in this level. The first cohort comprising about 50 participants were taken through the first level of the training from Monday 21st – 25th October 2024 at the College of Engineering, KNUST. The training attracted a diverse group of participants from various fields of study, ensuring an interdisciplinary approach. They participated in interactive sessions with industry experts and academics, gaining practical exposure to EV components. The Director of the Centre Prof. David Ato Quansah, PhD admonished the participants to make the best out of the training as e-mobility is the future. The certification program is facilitated by a team of experts led by Dr. G.K. Ayetor, a Fellow of The Brew Hammond Energy Centre and Lead for the EVs and Sustainable Mobility research group at the Centre. Other facilitators included Francis E.Y. Teidzor, Godwin Rajiv Deyegbe (KNUST Alumni and experienced industry practitioners) and Ebenezer Brew (MSc./BSc./HND) SolarTaxi (an EV Company).
Energy Commission, Doris Edem Agbevivi, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, KNUST College of Engineering
