EKA Mobility drives East Africa’s commercial EV transformation
Electric mobility is gaining momentum globally, but Africa’s commercial vehicle market is still at a relatively early stage. Even so, growing urbanisation, rising fuel costs and a push for cleaner transport are creating new opportunities for investment. Indian electric vehicle manufacturer EKA Mobility is expanding its footprint on the continent, most recently announcing plans for a Completely Knocked Down assembly plant in Ethiopia. Joining CNBC Africa to unpack this is Vijay Kumar Yelne, President of Export Marketing & SCM at EKA Mobility.
Thu, 23 Jul 2026 15:45:38 GMT
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Key Points:
- EKA Mobility is planning a completely knocked down assembly plant in Ethiopia as part of its East Africa expansion.
- The company said Africa’s commercial EV market is still early-stage but offers strong long-term growth potential.
- EKA Mobility said it will compete with Chinese manufacturers through localization, quality, reliability and technology transfer rather than price alone.
- The company said it has delivered 15 buses to Zanzibar and is developing projects across East, South and West Africa.
Topics
EKA MobilityAfrica electric vehiclesEthiopia CKD assembly plantEast Africa commercial EV marketZanzibar electric busesIndian EV manufacturercommercial electric vehicles Africaelectric mobility investmentclean transport AfricaCNBC Africa interview
- EKA Mobility is expanding its African footprint with a completely knocked down assembly plant planned for Ethiopia as it targets early-stage growth in the continent’s commercial electric vehicle market.
- The Indian manufacturer said East Africa is a strategic priority, citing urbanization, rising fuel costs and demand for lower-emission transport.
- The company said it is competing against entrenched Chinese players by focusing on localized products, technology transfer, reliability and job creation rather than price alone.
- EKA Mobility also said it has delivered 15 buses to Zanzibar and is building a broader pipeline across East, South and West Africa.
Indian electric vehicle maker EKA Mobility is stepping up its expansion in Africa with plans for a completely knocked down, or CKD, assembly plant in Ethiopia, as the company bets the continent’s early-stage but fast-evolving commercial transport market can offer long-term growth.
Speaking to CNBC Africa, Vijay Kumar Yali, president of Export Marketing and SCM at EKA Mobility, said Africa has become a strategic focus for the company because of its growth potential, policy flexibility and increasing recognition of electric mobility’s role in cutting emissions.
“Africa, first of all, is a growing market,” Yali said. He added that while adoption remains at a relatively early stage, many countries across the continent share a common objective of reducing emissions and improving transport outcomes, even if their expectations and levels of readiness differ.
The comments come as commercial electric mobility gains momentum globally, while much of Africa’s market is still developing. For manufacturers, that has created an opening to build local partnerships and assembly operations before the sector becomes more crowded.
Yali said EKA sees particular opportunity in regions where governments and operators are looking for cleaner public transport options, while also seeking industrial investment that can create jobs and develop local skills. He said the company’s “zero emissions” positioning is central to that pitch.
The Ethiopia plan marks EKA’s latest move in East Africa, a region the company said it has entered aggressively. Yali said the group is setting up operations with strategic partners and positioning its product range for multiple segments of the commercial EV market.
According to Yali, EKA’s lineup stretches from three-wheelers to buses, with trucks also part of its broader roadmap. That breadth, he said, is intended to help the company address varied transport needs across different African markets rather than pursuing a one-size-fits-all strategy.
Competition, however, is expected to be intense. Chinese manufacturers already have a strong presence across several African vehicle markets, particularly in lower-cost mobility solutions and public transport fleets.
Yali said EKA does not plan to compete on sticker price alone. Instead, he said the company is trying to tailor its offering by region, adjusting to local demand patterns and customer requirements.
“Pricing is not the only criteria when you talk about the business part of it,” Yali said on CNBC Africa. “Quality comes into the picture, reliability comes into the picture. Technology transfer comes into the picture, generating the employment comes into the picture.”
He argued that while price differences may matter at the margin, they are unlikely to be the only factor determining market share in commercial EVs, where fleet uptime, serviceability and long-term operating economics are also critical.
Yali also said EKA believes its relative youth gives it an advantage. The company, which he described as about four years old, was “born and brought up in the new age,” allowing it to build products and processes around newer electric vehicle technologies from the outset.
That positioning, he said, has shaped both the design and performance of its vehicles. Yali said EKA’s buses, in particular, were designed from scratch, which he argued helps the company differentiate on looks, performance and reliability.
Beyond Ethiopia, EKA signaled a broader regional strategy that spans East, South and West Africa. Yali said the company is working to establish assembly and support capacity in multiple markets, while relying on a network of strategic and financial partners to deepen market access.
He identified Kasanje as one of EKA’s strategic partners in East Africa and said other backers, including Mitsu, VDL and additional financial partners, are supporting the company’s market development efforts. CNBC Africa could not independently verify the full scope of those partnerships from the interview alone.
Still, the company pointed to early deliveries as evidence of traction. Yali said EKA has delivered 15 buses to Zanzibar, which were flagged off Thursday by the president of Zanzibar.
He added that demand from the market could rise further if the initial rollout proves successful. According to Yali, Zanzibar is exploring how to build out its transport system in a way that supports a broader zero-emission goal.
That could be significant for EKA because public bus deployments often serve as reference projects for future contracts in adjacent markets. If operators can demonstrate lower fuel and maintenance costs over time, larger orders may follow.
The company’s strategy also leans heavily on localization. Yali said EKA wants its African projects to go beyond vehicle sales by generating employment, transferring technical know-how and training workers in areas including software.
That approach mirrors a wider shift in several African markets, where policymakers are increasingly seeking manufacturing investment tied to industrialization goals rather than simple imports. CKD assembly, in particular, can help lower logistics costs, improve local content over time and build service ecosystems around vehicle fleets.
For now, Africa’s commercial EV market remains uneven, with infrastructure constraints, financing needs and policy differences still shaping the pace of adoption. But rising fuel costs, rapid urbanization and pressure to reduce emissions are creating conditions that could support stronger demand over time, especially in fleet-heavy segments such as buses, delivery vehicles and three-wheelers.
Yali said EKA is also seeing opportunities beyond Africa, including in Australia, but made clear that the continent is a major focus area in the company’s current expansion phase.
What comes next will likely depend on execution. Assembly build-outs, after-sales service networks, financing availability and government support will all be crucial in determining whether early announcements convert into durable scale.
For EKA, the Ethiopia plant and Zanzibar deployment now offer an early test of whether an India-led commercial EV model centered on localization, flexibility and industrial partnerships can gain ground in Africa’s transport transition.
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