Grace Ashiru
A subsidiary of the Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG) called InfraCo Africa has pledged US$2 million to Mobility for Africa, a company that offers underserved communities in rural Zimbabwe cargo-carrying e-tricycles and solar-powered battery charging systems.
Director and CEO of Mobility for Africa, Shantha Bloemen, stated, “We are grateful to InfraCo Africa for this investment and their vote of confidence. We will be able to demonstrate how to replicate our fleet management system in many remote regions.
However, it also emphasizes the fact that rural women, who make up the majority of our clients, should no longer be overlooked and acknowledges the critical role they play in advancing social, economic, and agricultural growth.
Mobility for Africa is aware that by providing rural communities, particularly women, with environmentally friendly shared mobility options, we can stimulate local economic activity, reduce gender inequality, and aid in building resilience against climate change.
Small-scale farmers who purchase or lease the electric three-wheelers from Mobility for Africa to transport their products to marketplaces are able to fulfill their daily transportation needs.
These vehicles are known locally as “Hambas.” Often, these farmers are part of women’s cooperatives. Farmers can contribute to SDG 2 through increasing income creation by selling their goods for more money, reducing post-harvest losses, and having access to markets in larger communities.
Medical professionals also utilize hambas to travel through challenging terrain and to patients who are located in distant areas. Transporting people, water, and firewood is also made possible by the cars, which reduces the time and energy demands on women who are primarily in charge of domestic duties.
The cars are designed to be pleasant for female drivers because they don’t have straddle bars. Beatrice Muthoni, the business development manager for InfraCo Africa, said, “We are thrilled to be partnering with Mobility for Africa to scale its amazing electric tricycle and solar-powered battery charging service in rural Zimbabwe. “As the first off-road electric tricycle in Africa, ‘Hambas’ will revolutionize access to inexpensive, sustainable transportation, making it possible for people to travel to places of work, education, and healthcare as well as to transport commodities to markets and assist domestic labor.
InfraCo Africa can benefit from our investments in electric transportation made in other parts of East Africa. This is our first investment in Zimbabwe, and we are eager to work with Mobility for Africa to expand its program for addressing the nation’s rural transportation needs.
During a visit to Domboshawa, Melanie Robinson, the British ambassador to Zimbabwe, expressed her delight about the InfraCo Africa investment in Mobility for Africa. An outstanding job is being done by the woman-led startup Mobility for Africa in supplying small-scale Zimbabwean farmers, many of whom are women, with environmentally friendly transportation.
After getting the chance to ride one of Mobility for Africa’s Hamba electric tricycles, I can attest to the fact that women users were taken into account when designing them! We think it would be excellent to see more green financing investments in Zimbabwe’s private sector.
400 new Hambas, 600 batteries, and 8 new charging stations will be deployed in significant parts of eastern Zimbabwe thanks to the investment from InfraCo Africa.
The project is anticipated to significantly increase the business of Mobility for Africa, enabling it to work with more small-scale farmers, especially women, and strengthening the business case that by collaborating with agricultural partners, it can demonstrate the financial viability and socio-economic impact of its model.
The business is anticipated to be in a strong position to attract additional private sector finance in order to scale its offering to new customer groups and geographical locations within the region.
