Costech meets Kipanya over his electric car
Ali Masoud’s (a.k.a Kipanya) car christened KpA72 on display after it was unveiled in Dar es Salaam recently. PHOTO | FILE
What you need to know:
Mr Masoud, a cartoonist, attracted the public attention early this month when he unveiled what is said to be Tanzania’s first locally made electric car.
Dar es Salaam. Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology’s (Costech) director general Amos Nungu recently met Ali Masoud a.k.a Kipanya who recently unveiled an electric car he innovated under his Kaypee Motors Ltd.
Mr Masoud, a cartoonist, attracted the public attention early this month when he unveiled what is said to be Tanzania’s first locally made electric car.
Mr Kipanya, known for his satirical cartoons, said the electric car was his own creation that took him 11 months to complete. The environmentally-friendly electric car requires six hours of charging.
Dr Nungu said the government, through Costech, supports different innovators in terms of advice, funding and even linking them to different institutions and universities to enable them to achieve their dreams.
The Costech boss clarified that since he joined Costech in 2018, the government had dished out over Sh200 million to empower car innovators in the country in order for them to improve different innovative products resulting from their own creations.
“The main task of the government is to create enabling environment and infrastructure. We have paid you a visit to learn more about your future plans, your needs and how you wish the government could support you via Costech,” said Dr Nungu.
“We would wish to build finance institutions and systems that will help increase productivity in the value chain of the manufacturing of cars, different spare-parts of the innovated electric car of KayPee Motors Ltd so that they can be produced in the country”, added Dr Nungu.
For his part, Mr Masoud, who owns Kaypee Motors Ltd, thanked the government through Costech for reaching out to him and promising to continue to give him cooperation so to ensure that the production of local innovative products was made in plenty in the country.
Mr Masoud promised to give his actual requirements within the next two days so that Costech could evaluate them and give their deserved support in the endeavour.
The move could open the door for many innovators.
