Recently, Nigeria’s efforts to attract foreign investment got a significant boost when Okafor Motors, a Nigerian automaker based in Enugu, announced a partnership with Sustainable Communities Corporation, a non-profit organization based in the United States. The new partnership aims to establish a company named NrG (pronounced as ‘energy’) and manufacture multiple units of solar-powered tricycles known as Nikeke. This initiative is expected to enhance Nigeria’s transportation system and improve the livelihood of its operators by lifting them out of poverty.
Sustainable Communities Corporation is linked with renowned battery technologists, Wisconsin Batteries (WinBat), who have been keenly following Okafor’s inventions ever since he launched his prototype solar-powered tricycle. The partnership is expected to bring a positive and significant change to Nigeria’s transportation industry and the lives of the people who depend on it.
In the new partnership, Anthony Obinna Okafor, the Chief Engineer at Okafor Motors, expressed his excitement, stating, ‘If you would ask me if I believe in angel investors, my answer is definitely yes. Do I also believe in predestination? Oh yes!’ He emphasized the challenges faced during prototype development but remained steadfast in his belief. Under this collaboration, various options will be explored, including mass production of the prototype and potential modifications such as quadracycles and electric bikes.
A new partnership between SCC and Okafor Motors is set to revolutionize the tricycle industry in Nigeria. SCC, through their subsidiary WinBat Company, will provide financing and deploy their hemp battery technology to power solar-electric tricycles produced by Okafor Motors. This move is aimed at making solar-electric tricycles a serious contender with conventional gasoline tricycles in Nigeria.
Jeff Greene, the spokesperson for SCC/WinBat, stated that the partnership with Okafor Motors was due to the success story of Anthony Obinna Okafor, a Nigerian engineer and entrepreneur who built a three-wheel solar/plugin hybrid electric passenger vehicle in just 21 days. The vehicle had a range of about 70 km on a single charge, and Anthony planned to mass-produce the solar-electric tricycle.
To achieve this goal, SCC and Okafor Motors will establish a new for-profit subsidiary in Nigeria called NrG Company. The partnership will enable them to produce the solar-electric tricycle under the trade name “Nikeke” and all manner of batteries under the trade name “NiBat” and other energy-related products in the future. NrG Co. will also perform battery and plastic recycling in the near term.
CEO of Wisconsin Battery Company, Jeff Greene, expressed his pleasure in partnering with Okafor Motors and his Nigerian team. He looks forward to bringing WinBat’s knowledge, technologies, and funding arrangements to the team to help fast-track this effort in Nigeria.
