Addis Ababa: the first country in the world to ban the import of gasoline and diesel vehicles

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Addis Ababa(ANN)- Ethiopia has banned the import of combustion-powered vehicles which will force drivers to switch to electric vehicles in a country with only one public charging station on its territory.

Accoding to lemonde.france Dagim Girma followed the Ethiopian government’s lead and acquired an electric car in early 2024. He no longer has to wait for hours in the endless queues of cars in the streets of Addis Ababa, which usually indicate the entrance to gas stations that have frequent diesel shortages. “I save time, and I don’t pay for fuel anymore,” said the thirty-something.

In January, the transport and logistics ministry took the radical step of banning all imports of petrol and diesel vehicles, which has forced Ethiopian drivers to convert to electric vehicles. It’s a world-first and surprising decision, given that less than half the population has access to electricity. The reasons for such a radical regulation were “first and foremost an economic strategy,” said Yizengaw Yitayih, a senior climate expert at the ministry. “The decree is primarily intended to help us rationalize our foreign currency expenditure.”

With a population of 120 million, Ethiopia is up against a severe shortage of foreign currency and is seeking to reduce its dependence on gasoline and diesel imports, which by 2023 will amount to over €6 billion, according to government figures. “Forcing Ethiopians to switch to electric cars enables the government to kill two birds with one stone: Reduce its fuel imports and introduce a progressive environmental policy,” said Samson Berhane, an independent analyst based in Addis Ababa.

The country’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019, has long sought to build his image as an environmental champion. He has spearheaded vast and rapid reforestation campaigns and committed to planting 5 billion trees by 2024. In 2022, he inaugurated Africa’s largest hydroelectric dam, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the River Nile, which today generates 1,550 megawatt-hours (MWh) of electricity, with an expected 5,000 MWh in the future. Ahmed is determined to take full advantage of inexpensive green electricity, estimated to be 10 times cheaper than in France. But although he has been quick to ban the import of gasoline and diesel vehicles, the prime minister does not seem to have prepared the ground in his country for the massive influx of electric cars.

‘Not prepared for this transition’

It’s a premature decision,” said Berhane. “The country is not prepared for this transition. There is only one public charging station and only two specialized garages in the whole country.”

It is a meager inventory. Spare parts are virtually impossible to find. Drivers are out on their own and have to muddle through. Some make their own arrangements to bring in batteries from the Gulf States. Others consult video tutorials on the Internet to enable them to work on their vehicles. “Because of the lack of regulations, we see a lot of cars, which are sometimes unknown Chinese brands, for which it is even more difficult to find spare parts,” the analyst said.