Nigeria and Kenya lead Africa's electric van assembly from Chinese EV kits.

Companies in Nigeria and Kenya are assembling electric vans locally from Chinese-made kits, while operators use lease and pay-as-you-drive financing to lower upfront costs and run costs.

Saglev in Nigeria has begun assembling 18-seater electric passenger vans using kits supplied by Dongfeng Motor Corp. Rideence Africa in Kenya has signed a $2.46 million deal with Associated Vehicle Assemblers to assemble electric taxis and minibuses from Chinese kits. Firms and industry groups say local assembly and new financing models aim to reduce fuel spending, cut emissions and grow domestic manufacturing capacity. Other countries including Ethiopia and South Africa also report activity in electric vehicle assembly. Known details: - Saglev says it plans to make up to 2,500 vehicles a year and eventually assemble 17 electric models for Nigeria and other West African markets. - Saglev is a joint venture involving Stallion Group and Sokon Motor and plans to install solar-powered charging stations to strengthen charging reliability. - Rideence Africa signed a $2.46 million agreement with Mombasa-based Associated Vehicle Assemblers to use kits from Jiangsu Joylong Automobile and Beijing Henrey Automobile Technology, and AVA described this as Kenya's first dedicated EV assembly line. - Companies are using financing such as pay-as-you-drive and lease-to-own to reduce upfront costs; the article reports Rideence leases taxis for about $18 per day and BasiGo charges a deposit plus about $0.20 per kilometre. - The article reports EV charging can cost about $3 for up to 200 kilometres, compared with more than $15 in petrol for similar distances. - The article notes there are roughly 30,000 EVs in Africa and that the continent produced about 1.1 million vehicles last year, with about 90% of that output in Morocco and South Africa; Ethiopia's Belayneh Kinde Group is reported to assemble about 150 minibuses a month using Chinese components. Summary: Local assembly and financing models are reported to lower operating costs and support wider adoption of electric vans in public transport. Companies say they plan to scale production and add charging infrastructure, including solar-powered stations, while Kenya and Nigeria move to expand assembly capacity. The extent and timing of broader adoption remain tied to scaling production and infrastructure development.