Online Reporter
Freeman Razemba
Senior Reporter
The Government and the United Nations are holding a two-day workshop over the implementation and way forward in advancing clean, sustainable and efficient electric mobility in Zimbabwe.
The Global Environment Facility 8 (GEF-8) workshop is being held under the theme, “Supporting the Shift to Electric Mobility in Zimbabwe Project”, which is a US$10 million medium-sized initiative executed by the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure Development (MTID) and implemented via the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
Addressing the meeting, the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development, Engineer Joy Makumbe, said Zimbabwe’s transport sector is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and local air pollution.
“Our cities continue to experience the pressures of urbanisation and motorisation, while many citizens, especially commuters, face high transport costs, overcrowding, and inconsistent service quality,” she said.
“At the same time, our national development agenda (NDS 2) requires solutions that are environmentally responsible, resilient to climate risks, and aligned to our commitments under national strategies and the Paris Agreement through our Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) implementation.”
She said electric mobility is not a fashion trend but a practical policy and investment pathway that can help Zimbabwe to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve air quality, enhance transportation efficiency, and create new opportunities in skills, jobs, and cleaner technologies.
“But we must also be clear, electrification without sound systems can create new problems. That is why this project is designed not only to electrify vehicles, but to build the enabling framework for policy, regulation, infrastructure, capacity, and environmentally sound management of Electric Vehicles (EV) and battery waste,” Eng Makumbe said.
She said the project objective is to accelerate Zimbabwe’s transition to electric mobility, focused on enabling institutional and policy frameworks for integrated e-mobility systems; demonstrating electric public transport through the e-bus pilot; scaling up and replication through regulations, standards, and financing mechanisms; and ensuring long-term environmental sustainability including the end-of-life management of EVs and batteries.
“Allow me to highlight the most important feature of this design: it combines demonstration with replication,” she said.
“ We will learn from the pilot to inform national policy, regulatory reforms, and investment pathways not in isolation, but through structured stakeholder coordination. In particular, the project will support: a national inter-sectoral coordination platform and thematic working groups; updating and strengthening the national e-mobility policy roadmap with gender-responsive measures.”
She said it would also support the creation of a public e-mobility knowledge management repository to ensure transparency and shared learning; a gender-responsive communication plan and public awareness efforts; capacity building and training so that institutions and operators have the skills to implement and sustain e-mobility systems.
In addition, she said it would support a planned e-bus pilot for real operational learning; development of a regulatory framework for EV classification, registration, authorisation, and technical inspection; and development of a charging infrastructure regulatory package, including standards and building code amendments.
Others are an assessment of EV charging needs for Harare, including recommended business models and charging locations; a market study on local EV supply chains and; an investment plan and financing mechanisms to accelerate uptake; and frameworks and schemes for environmentally sound EV and battery end-of-life management.
