01/05/2022
Zambia - DRC Cooperation
The establishment of Zambia - DRC Cooperation Agreement on the Establishment of the Value Chain in the Electric Battery and Clean Energy under a common governance framework called DRC – Zambia battery Council is a great milestone for the two sister countries. Zambia and Congo DR hold slightly above 70% of the Worlds cobalt reserves.
The electric car battery industry will contribute in creating massive green jobs for the youths and transitioning to a clean energy pathway as a major initiative to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and climate change effects. If well harnessed the electric car battery industry will contribute to financing the implementation of Zambia’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and achieving Zambia’s green growth agenda by the year 2030.
The Nationally determined contributions (NDCs) are the heart of the Paris Agreement on climate change as a longer term initiative to respond to the overall objective of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate change (UNFCCC) of 1992. The NDCs are an effort by each country in the world to reduce their national carbon emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change.
Zambia alone require about US$ 50 billion to implement its NDCs and joins the rest of the World in the Race to Zero carbon emissions which is a global campaign to rally leadership and support from businesses, cities, regions, investors for a healthy, resilient, zero carbon recovery that prevents future threats, creates decent jobs, and unlocks inclusive, sustainable growth.
The USA government alone has proposed an increased federal procurement of electric batteries by $400 billion in the first term of President Joe Biden Administration. The goal is to purchase and implement key clean energy inputs like batteries, with the goal of positioning the US as the world’s clean energy leader. Zambia and Congo DR should take advantage of the US EV market which is projected to grow to US$400 billion and the European Market which is expected to reach $855.17 billion by 2028.
I call upon the government of Congo DR and Zambia to begin identifying car manufacturing companies from big markets such as the USA, China, India and EU and begin to engage them in the manufacturing of electric car batteries.
At the United Nations Climate Change Summit (COP26) in Glasgow last year about 24 developed countries and a group of major car manufacturers such as Ford, Volvo, Jaguar, Land Rover and Mercedes Benz committed to work towards zero emission cars by 2040 to meet the Paris Agreement goals including limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. More than 100 countries agreed to greening the transport sector by signed the Glasgow Declaration on Zero Emission Cars and Vans and the sale of internal combustion engines by 2035 in leading markets and by 2040 globally.
