Erik Solheim (R), Head of United Nations Environment addresses journalists on the sidelines of Africa Clean Mobility Week Conference in Nairobi, capital of Kenya, March 14, 2018. (Xinhua/Charles Onyango)
NAIROBI, March 16 (Xinhua) -- The UN Environmental has received overwhelming support for its drive to ensure that urban transport systems become more technologically efficient and lead to low emission of carbon dioxide.
Representatives from vehicle manufacturing firms attending the Africa Clean Mobility Conference in Nairobi, said that although extra resources were required to produce low carbon emitting vehicles, the initiative was worthwhile for the sake of humankind.
During the conference, delegates from African countries, representatives of car manufacturing companies and energy sector regulators, came together to discuss the steps to improve fuel economy of cars and heavy transport vehicles, fuel quality and vehicle emission standards.
According to the UN Environment, there are opportunities for the African region to move directly from low-to-zero emission of carbons within a short time.
"The zero emission cars are already available in the developed countries," said Jim Dando, Sales and Operations Director at Nissan Group of Africa.
Dando said the importation of the used vehicles needed a re-think if the African region was to achieve the low carbon emission and to transition to zero carbon emission in the future.
He said the infrastructure in Africa does not provide the support for the zero transmission vehicles in Africa, especially given that most countries have not developed the required centers for charging the batteries of the electric vehicles, which have the low carbon emission.
"It would be difficult to meet the zero transmission in Africa," Dando said.
In Kenya, Isuzu East Africa representative Zacharia Mungai, said the country recorded sales of 890 new vehicles in 2017, with 400 of them assembled in the country compared to 6,576 used vehicles imported every month.
Mungai said Kenya has developed policies and standards for ensuring the low carbon emissions from cars.