In the report “Accelerating the Electric Mobility Transition: Enabling India-Africa Cooperation through the EMBRACE Platform” published by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), authors Akanksha Golchha, Abhinav Subramaniam, and Akshat Singh examine how countries are shifting toward electric mobility to reduce transport-related emissions. They argue that India and several African nations must play a key role in this shift, as both regions share similar opportunities, such as rapidly growing cities and a young expanding workforce and as well as common challenges like energy insecurity and heavy dependence on oil imports. The report explores the current EV landscape in India and selected African countries, outlining the major opportunities and obstacles in their path. It then introduces the EMBRACE Platform, a structured India-Africa partnership designed to promote knowledge-sharing, strengthen sectoral cooperation, and speed up EV adoption across both regions.
The report examines that, by cooperating strategically, India and African nations can not only reduce pollution and dependence on imported oil, but also build local industries, generate jobs, and create more affordable and sustainable transportation for ordinary people.
In many African countries, vehicles are still mostly old internal combustion types. And in India, it has already laid a strong foundation for Electric Vehicle(EV) manufacturing, created supporting policies, and people are adopting the growth of EVs. Even though the EV ecosystem is growing, the public charging infrastructure remains very limited, and it is unevenly distributed. The crucial parts, like the batteries and other important parts, are often imported from various countries, which makes the industry more expensive. In Africa, many countries still lack a reliable electricity supply and also lack of skilled workforce, so the manufacturing and maintenance are in question. They have to start from scratch.
To overcome these challenges, the report proposes setting up a cooperation framework called EMBRACE – Electric Mobility Bridge for Regional Africa-India Cooperation and Exchange. Through EMBRACE, India can help African nations to avoid mistakes and create strategies that suit their needs by sharing its EV policies, standards and lessons. Together, Africa’s vital resources and India’s manufacturing capabilities can build robust, dependable supply chains. Increased funding for factories, charging stations and other EV infrastructure can also be obtained by working together. Both areas can train personnel and provide skilled local jobs as the EV industry expands. Additionally, they can test novel concepts like recycling, battery switching, and small-scale manufacturing. In general, EMBRACE uses collaboration to transform common difficulties into common possibilities.
Shifting to EVs can improve daily life and health by reducing pollution in rapidly expanding cities. Additionally, it reduces reliance on imported fuels, resulting in more affordable and better transportation. Together, India and Africa have the potential to generate employment and establish a model for sustainable mobility throughout the Global South.
In conclusion, this report shows that India and many African nations stand to gain a great deal from collaborating in electric mobility. Africa offers abundant mineral resources and the opportunity to develop new businesses, while India delivers experience in manufacturing, policymaking, and EV adoption. The two regions may construct supply chains, combine investments, exchange skills, and generate employment through the planned EMBRACE Platform. Cleaner cities, increased energy security, and new economic opportunities could result from their successful collaboration, not only for them but also as a model that the Global South can follow.