The Jospong Group of Companies (JGC) has entered into a historic international partnership with ZeroNox Inc., a leading provider of sustainable, off-highway vehicle electrification Company with the formal signing of the Joint Venture (JV) agreement to provide electric vehicles in Ghana.
The JV agreement which was signed at ZeroNox headquarters in the USA aims at advancing clean technology solutions in Africa.
Representatives from the Ghanaian government and other leaders from the U.S. Legislature joined ZeroNox Co-Founder and CEO Vonn Christenson, Co-Founder and President Robert Cruess, COO Jason Eggett, and CTO Jacob Gotberg in commemorating this step toward a cleaner future for all.
Their Ghanaian counterpact included Dr Joseph Siaw Agyepong, Executive Chairman of the Jospong Group, Messrs Hassan Tampuli, Deputy Minister of Transport, Kennedy Nyarko Osei, MP for Swedru and Chairman of the Roads and Transport Committee, George Walker, CEO of TechWorld, Mrs Florence Larbi, COO of the Environment and Sanitation Cluster.
Others are Mr Alex Attakora, COO of the Technical and Logistics Cluster, Noah Gyimah, Chief Investment Officer, Sophia Kudjordji, Chief Corporate Communication Officer, Patricia Ofori Atta, Assistant Communications Manager, Loworki Ahulu, Legal Manager and Strive Kakraba, Senior Communications Officer.
The unveiling of the world’s largest fleet retrofit electrification project and the signing of the JV agreement between Jospong Group and ZeroNox marked significant milestones for both companies and leverage Ghana as the gateway to electric vehicle and related technology distribution throughout Africa.
Through this agreement, 1,000 refuse trucks from the Jospong Group subsidiary, Zoomlion, will be converted from diesel to electric power utilising the ZeroNox Electric Powertrain Platform (“ZEPP”).
A prototype of the all-electric refuse truck — the first of its kind and a significant achievement in the Refuse Truck Electrification Project made its premier during the event as well.
The electrification of Jospong’s 1,000-refuse truck fleet by ZeroNox is projected to reduce the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere by 400,000 metric tons over five years, the equivalent of 18 million mature trees.
Estimated savings are $323 million over five years, and as a result, Jospong will generate a return on their investment in less than three years.
The Executive Chairman of Jospong Group, Dr Agyepong who was particularly elated said “what started as a dream and unreachable goal is today being unveiled before our very eyes.”
He noted that in 2022, the Jospong Group established a collaborative arrangement with ZeroNox to pilot retrofitting three of its waste trucks into an electric vehicle in line with its vision of promoting clean energy and sustainability to drive the Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) agenda.
He added that, in line with its mission of improving the lives of people, “we seek projects and investments that focus on improving the environment and general well-being of our populace, and the electrification project fits perfectly into that agenda.”
“We are excited to partner with a global leader like the Jospong Group in executing the world’s largest fleet retrofit electrification project,” said Vonn Christenson, Chief Executive Officer and Co-founded of ZeroNox.
Ghana’s Deputy Minister of Transport, Mr Tampuli, hinted that the Ministry of Transport and the Energy Commission were in the process of rolling out key policy initiatives to oversee the transition of combustible engines to electricity vehicles.
“The business man that he is, he has taken the lead so we need to catch up with him by setting up all the necessary ground rules to support the roll up,” he mentioned.
The Mayor of Porterville (where ZeroNox is located), Martha A. Flores, observed that these two companies were bringing clean technology into Ghana and promoting sustainable development across Africa.
During the event, Jospong Group and ZeroNox were presented with awards by the Ghana government recognising their contributions to global carbon emission reduction and the education of Ghana’s youth about green technology solutions.
BY TIMES REPORT
