By Abbas Nazil
The Federal Government has announced plans to train 100,000 Nigerians in the local manufacture and assembly of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) systems and electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure as part of a major push to develop a cleaner and more self-reliant transport energy sector.
Vice President Kashim Shettima disclosed the initiative in Abuja, stating that the programme will train at least 1,000 participants in each state of the federation and sponsor an additional 100 Nigerians for advanced technical training in China.
The initiative forms part of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which aims to promote inclusivity, job creation, and industrial development through strategic international partnerships and technology transfer.
According to the government, the programme is designed not only to build technical capacity but also to reduce Nigeria’s dependence on imported vehicle infrastructure by developing local expertise in EV and CNG systems.
As part of the plan, Nigeria has entered a strategic partnership with a Chinese firm, New Power Technology (NPT), to support the domestic production and assembly of CNG dispensers, refuelling stations, and electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
The collaboration is backed by Chinese government support and is expected to accelerate the development of a local clean energy transport ecosystem while strengthening industrial cooperation between both countries.
Officials say the partnership followed high-level discussions between NPT representatives led by Chief Executive Officer Liu Shihua and Nigeria’s Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative, alongside officials from the Vice President’s office at the State House in Abuja.
The Vice President, represented by Deputy Chief of Staff Senator Ibrahim Hassan Hadejia, said the initiative aligns with government directives to gradually adopt CNG-powered vehicles across public institutions to reduce transportation costs and improve efficiency.
He also noted that Nigeria’s youthful population, with an average age of 21.4 years, presents a strong advantage for scaling up technical training and adopting modern transport technologies similar to China’s model of industrial expansion.
In addition to local training, Chinese technical experts will be deployed to Nigeria to assist in capacity building, infrastructure development, and knowledge transfer across various aspects of the EV and CNG value chain.
The partnership also includes support from China’s Science and Technology Bureau of Xi’an under the “Thousand Talents Program,” which will help facilitate advanced technical exposure for Nigerian trainees and professionals.
According to NPT, the long-term vision includes building a complete electric vehicle ecosystem in Nigeria, covering vehicle retrofitting, battery swapping systems, and digital maintenance platforms to support sustainable mobility.
The company also revealed plans to convert up to one million fuel-powered tricycles into electric tricycles within three years, alongside the establishment of 10,000 charging and battery-swapping stations across the country.
These developments are projected to create as many as 50,000 direct and indirect jobs, contributing significantly to employment generation and economic diversification in Nigeria’s transport sector.
Furthermore, between 60 and 70 Nigerian students will be trained in China under fully funded programmes, with the intention that they return as “seed trainers” to build local expertise and expand national capacity.
Technical Adviser to the President on Economic and Financial Inclusion, Dr. Nurudeen Zauro, said the initiative supports Nigeria’s broader ambition of building a $1 trillion economy through innovation, industrial partnerships, and skills development.
He emphasized that strengthening local manufacturing capacity in clean energy transport is critical for long-term economic transformation and competitiveness in emerging global markets.
Executive Chairman of the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative, Ismaeel Ahmed, added that the programme will reduce transportation costs, improve efficiency, and ease financial pressure on households, where transport spending accounts for a significant share of income.
He further stated that the shift to cleaner transport systems will not only benefit the environment but also improve livelihoods by making mobility more affordable and sustainable for millions of Nigerians.
