Minister for Lands and Natural Resources Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah has called for the establishment of a specialised Electric Vehicle (EV) Capacity Building Centre to train Ghanaian mechanics to maintain and repair the growing number of electric vehicles entering the local market.

He said Ghana must begin building the technical capacity required to support the emerging electric-mobility industry as countries around the world increasingly move away from conventional fossil-fuel-powered vehicles towards cleaner alternatives.

According to Mr Armah-Kofi Buah, the proposed centre would equip mechanics with specialised skills to diagnose, service and repair next-generation electric vehicles.

He said a deliberate national effort was needed to create the right environment for the EV industry while developing the human capital necessary to sustain its growth.

The Minister made the proposal while speaking to journalists after touring the showroom and operations of Longking, a Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer, during his official engagements in China.

He said China’s experience as a global leader in EV manufacturing and technology could provide valuable opportunities for Ghana to develop local technical expertise.

The call comes as China continues to experience rapid growth in electric heavy-duty vehicles, particularly in sectors such as mining, ports, factories and short-haul freight.

Industry data indicate that electric heavy trucks accounted for about 44 per cent of new heavy-truck sales in China in June 2026, although they represented about four per cent of the country’s total heavy-truck fleet.

New-energy heavy-truck sales have also been expanding rapidly, with reports indicating a year-on-year increase of about 45 per cent in the first quarter of 2026 to approximately 44,000 units.

The development is being supported by technologies such as battery swapping, which allows depleted truck batteries to be replaced with fully charged ones at specialised stations, significantly reducing vehicle downtime.

Mr Armah-Kofi Buah said these developments could have particular relevance for Ghana’s mining, haulage and logistics sectors, where heavy-duty vehicles are critical to the movement of minerals, equipment and other commodities.

He noted that China’s growing EV ecosystem, including battery manufacturing, charging infrastructure and swapping stations, offered Ghana an opportunity to learn from a market that was already undergoing a significant transition.

The Minister said the proposed capacity-building centre could therefore form part of Ghana’s preparations for the electric-mobility era by ensuring that the country develops the mechanics, engineers and other technical professionals needed to support the sector locally.

He stressed that Ghana’s ambition should go beyond importing electric vehicles to developing the skills and technical expertise required to maintain and service them domestically.