COUNTRY FOCUS: RWANDA
You may not automatically think of
Rwanda when discussing IT, but the
central African country is becoming
a hub of tech activity. Intelligent CIO
Africa looks at some of the projects
that are taking place.
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A hub of activity
V
Volkswagen and Siemens launch
joint electric mobility pilot project
In a first for the African continent, the
Volkswagen Brand and Siemens have
launched a pilot project to test the feasibility
of electric mobility in Rwanda.
It will form part of Volkswagen’s operations
in Rwanda and was officially announced by
Thomas Schäfer, CEO of Volkswagen Group
South Africa and responsible for the Sub-
Sahara Africa Region, in the presence of the
Prime Minister of the Republic of Rwanda,
Right Honourable Dr Edouard Ngirente.
Four e-Golfs and one charging station will be
introduced in the capital of Rwanda, Kigali.
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Volkswagen has signed a joint development
agreement with Siemens to provide the
charging infrastructure for the electric cars.
With the launch of the pilot project, Rwanda
becomes the first African country to
introduce a Volkswagen electric car.
“The success of our innovative and
pioneering mobility solutions business has
shown us that Rwanda has the potential to
leapfrog the internal combustion engines
into electric cars,” said Schäfer.
“Rwanda has a young and progressive
population that appreciates individual
and modern mobility. Together with our
development partner Siemens and with the
support from the Government of Rwanda,
Volkswagen wants to make the e-Golf pilot
project in Rwanda a blueprint for electric
mobility in Africa.”
Sabine Dall’Omo, CEO for Siemens Southern
and Eastern Africa, added: “Our partnership
with Volkswagen on this project solidifies our
commitment not only to Rwanda but to the
East Africa region. By contributing towards
shaping the African market for intelligent,
adaptive infrastructure, while addressing
skills challenges in this sector, Siemens is
helping to build a more sustainable future for
the people of Rwanda.”
The pilot e-Golfs will be added into the
Volkswagen Mobility Solutions Rwanda fleet
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