Burkina Faso Unveils First Native EV

At the end of January 2025, Burkina Faso’s ITAOUA Group launched its first electric car assembled locally. The electric vehicle (EV) is produced at a state-of-the-art facility in Ouaga, an area in the southern part of the capital city of Ouagadougou.

The model is branded as Sahel and has its sights set firmly on the region. It is fully electric and incorporates the latest technologies. With a single charge requiring just 30 minutes, the car can run 33 km.

According to research by Mordor Intelligence, the EV market in Africa is expected to nearly double from USD 16 billion in 2024 to USD 26 billion by 2029 with a compounded annual growth rate of over 10%.

To take advantage of the opportunity, Botswana also started assembly #EV in Gaborone recently. The locally manufactured electric vehicle is the result of a close collaboration between the Botswana Institute for Technology Research and Innovation (BITRI) and two Chinese companies headquartered in Nanjing. Skywell, a JV between Skyworth and Volvo, cooperated to assemble SUV while Kinwin Auto partnered for buses.