By Ajong Mbapndah L *
Across Africa’s crowded cities, millions of motorcycles are more than a means of transport. They are livelihoods, delivery networks and essential links in economies where fuel costs can take a sizeable bite out of daily earnings. Spiro believes electrifying this vast market could do much more than cut emissions—it could reshape how Africa powers transport, builds industries and creates jobs.
Under Group Chief Executive Officer Anant Badjatya, Spiro has emerged as a major force in Africa’s electric mobility sector, building its strategy around battery-swapping infrastructure, affordable financing, local assembly and an expanding network of riders. The company is betting that Africa does not need to simply import an electric mobility model developed elsewhere, but can build one around the realities of its own markets.
That ambition is increasingly tied to a wider industrial vision. Spiro is expanding local manufacturing, developing technical skills through the Spiro Academy and working toward deeper localisation of vehicle components. Badjatya argues that electric mobility can help African economies keep more money at home by reducing fuel imports while creating jobs, strengthening local supply chains and building new technical capabilities.
In this interview with Pan African Visions, Badjatya discusses Spiro’s rapid expansion, its battery-swapping model, the economics driving riders toward electric motorcycles and the company’s push for vehicles “made in Africa, by Africans, for Africa.” He also examines the infrastructure and financing barriers confronting the industry, what governments can do to accelerate adoption, and why he believes African electric mobility has moved beyond experimentation to become a serious investment and industrial opportunity.
Spiro has become Africa’s largest electric mobility company in a remarkably short time. What key decisions and market factors have driven this rapid growth?
The decisive choice was to work on the infrastructure first. We bet that the real barrier wasn’t the bike but the fear of where to charge, so we deployed a dense battery-swapping network and put after-sales and financing around it.
The market factors did the rest: Africa spends close to USD 150 billion a year importing fuel, a two-wheeler fleet heading from today’s levels toward 50–60 million by 2030, and riders who depend on the bike for daily income. Give them a product that’s cheaper to run and a network they can rely on, and adoption follows fast.
With operations now spanning seven African countries and fresh capital of $270 million, what are your top priorities for expansion over the next three to five years?
Our single most critical priority is execution at scale, consolidating the wins we already have while replicating them in new markets, and doing so without ever compromising affordability or operational excellence.
Concretely, that means densifying the swap network across existing markets, entering new ones, deepening local manufacturing and broadening the product range.
Battery swapping is at the heart of Spiro’s business model. Why is this approach better suited to Africa’s transport landscape than conventional EV charging?
Because a commercial rider can’t afford to stop working for two hours to charge, especially where the grid is unreliable. Swapping mirrors refuelling: deposit an empty battery, leave with a full one, pay instantly online and keep earning.
It also removes the battery, the single most expensive component, from the purchase price, making the bike far more affordable. It lets us deploy the energy network ourselves rather than waiting for charging infrastructure to exist.
Commercial riders are reporting significant savings after switching to Spiro motorcycles. How is electric mobility changing livelihoods, lowering transport costs and boosting productivity across Africa?
For a rider, the bike is an income-generating asset worked up to ten hours a day, so the economics are transformative. Our report benchmarks 70 to 80% lower operating costs per kilometre than a petrol bike, which for a commercial rider is effectively a pay rise—money that goes into better food on the table and school fees paid on time.
Swapping also shields riders from fuel-price volatility and cuts refuelling time, improving uptime and stabilising earnings. For example, in Kenya, one swap goes for KSh 290 and can take the rider for up to 100 kilometres, while the petrol counterpart would need at least three litres of petrol costing KSh 214 each for the same distance. On the lowest range, a Spiro rider is saving more than $2 daily on energy.
Spiro is championing the vision of building electric vehicles “Made in Africa by Africans for Africa.” How important is local manufacturing to the continent’s industrialisation agenda?
It’s the whole point. Local manufacturing turns a dollar that used to leave the country importing fuel or finished vehicles into a local wage and a local skill.
We assemble in Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and Nigeria today. We’re moving toward more than 80% of vehicle value added in Africa and up to 90% of components localised by 2027, and we’re working with partners to produce battery cells on the continent within 12 months.
That’s not just cheaper and more resilient against supply-chain shocks; it’s how Africa builds an industry rather than importing one.
Your inaugural Sustainability Report sets ambitious targets, including net-zero Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2040. How will sustainability continue shaping Spiro’s investment, innovation and long-term business strategy?
For us, sustainability isn’t a separate initiative; it’s built into how the business runs, and our inaugural report formalises that.
Beyond the commitment to net-zero Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2040, it shapes real decisions every day: integrating solar into our energy network and building battery circularity so a battery is reused in second-life storage before being responsibly recycled rather than discarded.
There’s a commercial logic to it too. Because our emissions data is independently verified and transparently disclosed, it opens the door to sustainability-linked financing and carbon-market opportunities. In other words, doing this credibly isn’t a cost; it’s what lets climate performance and financial performance move together.
Beyond reducing emissions, what measurable economic and social impact has Spiro delivered through job creation, local supply chains, skills development and community empowerment?
The impact is concrete and measurable. We’ve created over 1,000 direct and more than 5,000 indirect jobs, with 97% of our staff across all countries being local Africans.
We’ve mobilised over USD 400 million in financing to make EV adoption affordable for riders. On inclusion, over 40% of our workforce are women, rising to 60% in manufacturing and the energy network, particularly in Kenya. On skills, Spiro Academy is preparing more than 10,000 young people for the sector.
Through the Spiro Academy, thousands of Africans have received technical training. How critical is developing local talent to building a sustainable electric mobility ecosystem?
It’s fundamental. You cannot build a manufacturing and energy ecosystem without a skilled local workforce, and Africa has 532 million young people aged 15 to 35, which I see as the most underestimated lever of the decade.
Through Spiro Academy, we’re preparing more than 10,000 young people in EV maintenance, battery management and technical operations, with university and training partnerships in the markets where we operate.
Every technician we train is what lets a rider trust that the asset can be serviced, which is what makes the whole model durable.
Despite growing momentum, EV adoption still faces obstacles across Africa. What are the biggest challenges—from infrastructure and financing to regulation—and how can governments and industry address them?
The biggest challenge for EV adoption in Africa is that the sector cannot scale through vehicles alone. It has to be built as a complete ecosystem that brings together energy infrastructure, affordable financing, local manufacturing, after-sales support and enabling policy.
Across the continent, demand is clearly emerging, especially in high-use segments such as motorcycles, three-wheelers, delivery fleets and public transport, where lower running costs can quickly translate into higher incomes and more resilient businesses. However, the pace of adoption is still constrained by limited charging and swapping infrastructure, uneven grid reliability, high upfront vehicle costs and policy uncertainty in some markets.
For many riders and fleet operators, the issue is not whether electric mobility makes economic sense over time, but whether they can access reliable energy every day, secure financing on reasonable terms and trust that the vehicle can be maintained locally.
Infrastructure is the most visible barrier because EV adoption depends on confidence that power will be available where mobility demand exists. In many African cities, conventional plug-in charging is difficult to scale quickly because of grid constraints, limited public charging networks and the time commercial drivers would lose while waiting to recharge.
This is why models such as battery swapping, depot charging and solar-plus-storage hubs are becoming so important. They localise energy access, reduce downtime and make electric mobility practical for riders whose vehicles are income-generating assets.
Financing is equally critical. EVs may be cheaper to operate, but the upfront cost remains a barrier for many households, small businesses and informal transport operators. The sector therefore needs financing models that recognise the vehicle as a productive asset, use digital tracking to reduce lender risk, and allow riders or fleet owners to pay in daily or usage-based instalments rather than large upfront sums.
Regulation will determine how quickly this promise becomes mainstream. Governments can accelerate the transition by setting clear import-duty and tax policies for EVs and components, supporting local assembly, creating standards for batteries and charging, opening space for private investment in energy infrastructure and aligning transport policy with renewable energy and industrialisation goals.
Partnerships with governments, investors and development finance institutions have been central to Spiro’s success. What qualities do you look for in strategic partners as you scale across the continent?
We look for long-term, institutional capital that understands we are building energy and industrial assets that pay back over time.
Our cap table blends a unique mix of African development capital—Afreximbank’s FEDA and the Africa Go Green Fund—European institutional capital such as Impact Fund Denmark, and Chinese equity through private investor NewTrails Capital.
Beyond financial support, we value what a partner brings strategically. NewTrails, for instance, connects us to the world’s most advanced EV supply chains and accelerates our localisation. We look for win-win partnerships that add real value, wherever we can build them.
As you prepare to enter new markets such as the Democratic Republic of Congo and Ethiopia, what factors determine where Spiro invests next, and which regions excite you most?
We prioritise new markets through a disciplined lens that looks at scale, economics, infrastructure readiness and policy alignment. The first question is always whether the market has a large and active two-wheeler or commercial transport base, because electric mobility creates the strongest impact where vehicles are used intensively every day and where savings on fuel and maintenance can immediately improve rider incomes.
The second factor is fuel-price pressure. In markets where petrol is expensive, imported fuel places a heavy burden on households, businesses and national foreign-exchange reserves, which makes the economic case for EVs much stronger.
The third factor is government support. We look closely at whether policymakers are creating the conditions for the transition through clear regulation, import-duty treatment for EVs and components, support for local assembly, access to land or energy infrastructure, and openness to partnerships that can accelerate deployment.
More broadly, the regions that excite us most are those where market size, fuel economics, local manufacturing potential, renewable energy and government commitment come together. In those conditions, we are not simply entering another country; we are helping build the foundations of a genuinely pan-African electric mobility network.
Looking at Africa’s broader energy transition, what role do you see electric mobility playing in reducing fuel imports, strengthening energy security and supporting sustainable urban development?
Electric mobility is one of the most direct and practical levers Africa has in its broader energy transition because it connects transport, energy security, industrialisation and urban development in one agenda.
Today, many African economies spend heavily on imported fuel, and that creates pressure on foreign-exchange reserves, exposes consumers and businesses to global oil-price volatility, and often forces governments to carry costly fuel subsidies. Every petrol motorcycle, taxi or bus that is replaced by an electric alternative reduces that dependence over time.
In high-use transport segments such as two-wheelers, three-wheelers, delivery fleets and public transport, the impact is especially powerful because these vehicles travel long distances every day and consume fuel continuously. Electrifying them therefore does not only cut emissions; it lowers operating costs, saves more money within local economies and gives riders and fleet operators more predictable daily margins.
It also strengthens energy security by allowing countries to shift part of their transport demand from imported petroleum to locally generated electricity. That is particularly important as Africa expands renewable generation, including solar, hydro, geothermal and wind. Electric mobility creates new demand for power, but if planned properly it can also make power systems more resilient.
The urban dimension is just as important. Africa’s cities are growing rapidly, and without cleaner transport systems, congestion, air pollution and fuel dependence will become more expensive social and economic challenges.
Clean two-wheelers and other electric commercial vehicles can be deployed quickly in dense urban areas, where they improve air quality, reduce noise and support more efficient last-mile transport. For city governments, this makes electric mobility a tool for sustainable urban planning, not just a climate solution.
Looking ahead, what is your long-term vision for Spiro, and what message would you like to share with African policymakers, investors and entrepreneurs about the future of electric mobility across the continent?
Our long-term vision is to help build a commercially sustainable electric mobility ecosystem that is made in Africa, by Africans, for Africa, and to prove that this is not wishful thinking but an industrial transition that is already underway.
For Spiro, scale is not only about putting more electric motorcycles on the road; it is about building the full ecosystem around them: local assembly and manufacturing, battery-swapping and energy infrastructure, affordable rider financing, digital payments, technician training, battery circularity and partnerships that connect transport with power, industry and jobs.
My message to policymakers is that the opportunity before us is about much more than transport decarbonisation. Electric mobility can reduce dependence on fuel imports, protect economies from oil-price volatility, improve urban air quality, create skilled jobs, support local manufacturing and strengthen energy sovereignty.
But this will not happen at the pace Africa needs without clear and consistent policy. Governments can accelerate the transition through supportive duty and tax treatment for EVs and components, standards for batteries and charging, incentives for local assembly, access to land and power for charging or swapping infrastructure, and policies that allow private capital to invest with confidence.
The more predictable the policy environment, the faster companies can deploy infrastructure, train people and localise supply chains.
To investors, I would say that African electric mobility is no longer an experiment; it is an infrastructure-grade opportunity with strong fundamentals, real customer demand and measurable impact. It combines energy, fintech, manufacturing, logistics and climate resilience in one investable platform.
To African entrepreneurs and riders, the message is even more personal: this transition can create a real ladder of opportunity. A rider can move from owning one electric bike to managing a small fleet, operating a swapping point, running a service franchise or building a local business around the ecosystem.
Our role is to keep innovating so that technology remains affordable, reliable and sustainable for the people who depend on it every day. The future of electric mobility in Africa will not be defined only by vehicles; it will be defined by the businesses, skills, industries and communities that grow around them.
**Culled from September Issue of PAV Magazine
