The Silent Crisis Killing African EV Manufacturing

In this episode, we go behind the scenes of African hardware innovation with Eugene Wang'ombe, founder of Husksberry Engineering. In this episode of The Africa EV Show, we explore the real challenges and strategic choices facing local manufacturers who are building advanced products like electric go-karts from the ground up. Wang'ombe reveals why China remains the go-to source for critical components—from electric motors and batteries to specialized tooling—and the trade-offs between cost, customizability, and local knowledge transfer. We also tackle the big questions: Can Kenya ever manufacture a fully local EV? What's stopping billionaires from investing in local factories? And why is it so hard to find like-minded engineers to build an industrial ecosystem? JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @hakeenah Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth Now on Bluesky! Follow CGSP at @chinagsproject.bsky.social FOLLOW CGSP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth