The Guardian (Nigeria) 18 Nov 2024 By Joseph Onyekwere
Read moreTAIWAN’S Chief of Mission to Nigeria, Andy Yih-ping Liu, has emphasized Taiwan’s commitment to leveraging its advanced technology to support Nigeria’s development goals.
Taiwan, he said, is renowned for high-tech innovation in information and e-mobility.
“President Bola Tinubu’s vision to make the South East of Nigeria the ‘Taiwan of Africa’ motivates us to strengthen trade and technological partnerships with Nigeria,” said Mr. Liu.
Liu spoke during the launching of an innovative battery-swapping service for electric motorbikes by AaraGO, a pioneering Nigerian green technology startup.
The bikes were manufactured by KYMCO, a renowned Taiwanese company with over 60 years of experience producing reliable two-wheelers.
The launch, held at Alliance Française in Ikoyi, Lagos, marked a significant milestone in Nigeria’s efforts to reduce carbon emissions and advance the energy transition from petrol to electricity.
The event was also held as part of the Green Mobility Summit: Electrify Lagos.
In addition, the event celebrated the inauguration of AaraGO’s first fully solar-powered battery-swapping solution, now operational at the NNPC Station on Alfred Rewane Road in Ikoyi.
This station enables seamless and sustainable energy access for riders, demonstrating the company’s commitment to off-grid solutions powered by renewable energy.
During the event, cofounder and CEO of AaraGO, Mr. Philip Handschin, highlighted the urgent need for sustainable transportation solutions considering Nigeria’s skyrocketing petrol prices. “When we started AaraGO, petrol cost about N180 per litre. Two years on, it is N1,100, a staggering increase of over 520 per cent.”