Creating an EV Supply Chain in Sub Saharan Africa: A Vehicle for Industrialization?

Abstract

Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has long struggled to break out of economies defined by neo-colonialism and resource extractivism. The global energy transition and the buildout of electric vehicle (EV) fleets offers a unique opportunity for SSA to leverage its critical mineral reserves for industrialization. This paper seeks to buildout a working policy and economic framework to facilitate value addition in the EV supply chain. It first explores the status-quo of EV supply chain and SSA\u27s comparative advantages. It then explores successful case study nations -Chile, Indonesia and Morocco- as models of productive industrial policy. Finally, it adapts these policies to SSA in an attempt to create institutions and frameworks that will facilitate maximal value integration and addition