Electrifying Africa: How Quantum Higher Education Can Drive E-Vehicle Revolution in Africa

Africa stands on the precipice of a dual revolution: the global transition to electric vehicles (EVs) and the rise of quantum technologies. The global electric vehicle (EV) revolution is accelerating. By 2030, EVs are projected to account for 40% of global car sales, driven by climate imperatives and technological breakthroughs. While the world races toward net-zero emissions and AI-driven industries, Africa risks being left behind unless it reimagines its higher education systems. Ghana, a leader in Africa’s renewable energy transition, offers a microcosm of both promise and peril. Thus a nation hailed as a beacon of democracy and innovation in West Africa, surprisingly epitomizes this challenge. With 63% of its population under 25 and a burgeoning tech-savvy middle class, Ghana has the demographic potential to lead Africa’s EV revolution. Yet, without quantum-ready talent, it risks becoming a consumer rather than a creator in the global green economy. However, this ambition collides with a stark reality: Africa contributes less than 1% of global quantum computing research, a field critical to solving EV challenges like battery efficiency, grid optimization, and materials science. This article argues that Africa’s EV aspirations must serve as a wake-up call to overhaul its higher education systems, embedding quantum computing into curricula and research to avoid dependency on foreign technologies.

The Global Shift to EVs: Africa’s Missed Opportunity?

EV sales surged to 14% of all new cars sold globally in 2023 (IEA). And according to Bloomberg, by 2030 the EV market will exceed $1.3 trillion. Also, less than 1% of vehicles in Africa are electric. South Africa leads with ~1,000 EVs on its roads, while Ghana has fewer than 500. The National Electric Vehicle Policy (2023) aims for 35% of new vehicle sales to be EVs by 2035. However, charging infrastructure is sparse, with only 12 public stations nationwide. Africa spends $50 billion annually on fossil fuel imports as reported by AfDB. EVs could leverage Africa’s vast renewables Ghana alone has 12+ hours of daily solar irradiation. The global EV sector will create 10 million jobs by 2030. Without local expertise, Africa will import EVs and technicians, losing $3 billion annually.

The Quantum Revolution: A Silent Disruptor

Quantum computing, sensing, and communication are reshaping industries from energy to materials science. For EVs, quantum technologies promise breakthroughs in Battery Efficiency, Smart Grids and AI-Driven Manufacturing. Lithium-ion batteries lose efficiency in high temperatures, a problem in tropical areas like Ghana; quantum simulations could design next-gen lithium-free batteries to mitigate that. Also, Ghana’s grid, with 25% transmission losses, cannot handle sudden EV charging loads and with that quantum algorithms can optimize by addressing Ghana’s 25% transmission losses. Quantum machine learning on the other hand could also accelerate EV component prototyping.

Africa’s Quantum Deficit
$35 billion invested in quantum R&D globally (2023). Africa’s share? Less than 0.1%. Only 3 African universities (in South Africa and Egypt) offer quantum computing courses compared to over 200 in the United States. Ghana has none. 70% of Africa’s STEM graduates emigrate, leaving nations like Ghana with skeletal R&D capacity. 300,000+ tertiary students, yet <5% study advanced physics or engineering. 2,300 MW hydropower capacity (Akosombo Dam) and 50 MW solar projects. The “Ghana Beyond Aid” agenda prioritizes tech industrialization.

Ghana’s Wake-Up Call
Engineering programs lack quantum mechanics, AI, or EV-specific modules. No supercomputers or quantum simulators for R&D. Tech giants like Google and Microsoft invest in South Africa and Kenya, bypassing Ghana’s untapped talent. Also, only 0.2% of Ghana’s GDP is spent on R&D (UNESCO), vs. 2.4% in South Korea. 85% of EV components used in Ghana are imported, draining $120 million annually (Ghana Auto Industry Report). And these are but few problems.

A Roadmap for Quantum-Ready Higher Education

Partner with institutions like IBM and Rigetti Computing to launch Africa’s first quantum diploma in our colleges. Thus a case can be made with Rwanda’s African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) which offers a blueprint for pan-African tech education. Also Ghana can establish a National Quantum Lab with cloud-based quantum simulators, funded by Ghana’s $1.3 billion tech levy (e.g., telco taxes). Kenya’s Konza Technopolis has attracted $2 billion in tech investments through similar hubs. Tax breaks for firms training quantum engineers, can be modeled on India’s National Quantum Mission. While launching an EV startup incubator, which can be co-funded by automakers. Ghana can also leverage on Ghanaian quantum scientists abroad via a "Reverse Brain Drain" initiative, offering competitive grants.

A Call to Quantum Action
Ghana’s EV ambitions will stall without quantum-educated engineers designing batteries optimized for tropical climates, AI-managed grids, and locally produced materials. Africa cannot afford to outsource its green transition. By 2030, 60% of global EV sales will be in emerging markets. Will Africa supply the vehicles or just the cobalt? Quantum technologies could add $13 billion to Africa’s GDP by 2035, but only if universities become innovation engines.

As Ghanaian philosopher James Emmanuel Kwegyir Aggrey once said, “The surest way to keep people down is to educate them just enough to serve but not enough to lead.” For Africa to lead in the EV era, it must bet on quantum education or risk being driven by others.

BY:
DR. JAMES ADU ANSERE
Postdoc Research Fellow
Faculty of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Memorial University, Canada
and
Electrical Engineering Department, Sunyani Technical University, Ghana

PROF. JONES LEWIS ARTHUR
Dean, Faculty of Applied Science and Technology, Sunyani Technical University, Ghana

MR. JONAS YEBOAH SAMUEL
Lecturer, Electrical Engineering Department, Sunyani Technical University, Ghana