Page 16 - AfrElec Week 46 2021

AfrElec ELECTRIC VEHICLES AfrElec

French start-up Zembo secures

$3.4mn investment into Uganda

electric motorcycle business

UGANDA A consortium of investors has committed to vehicles to the market,” Vaes said.
investing $3.4mn to support the growth of New investors are expected expand Zembo’s
French start-up Zembo’s electric motorcycle ability to cut urban air pollution, create jobs and
business in the Ugandan capital Kampala. promote economic development. The project
Mobility 54 Investment SAS, a venture capital aligns with efforts to improve air quality and
subsidiary of CFAO Group and Toyota Tsusho achieve net-zero emissions by mid-century.
Corporation are investing in the startup’s electric DOB equity’s co-chief executive Saskia van
motorcycles assembly, distribution and battery der Mast said Zembo is offering a low-emission
swap business. and cheaper transport solution to meet growing
Zembo enables clients to buy electric motor- demand for urban transport.
cycle taxis locally known as “boda boda” or pay “With an ambition to invest in Uganda as
on a lease-to-own basis. InfraCo Africa is part well as in companies with strong environmen-
of Private Infrastructure Development Group tal angle, DOB is excited to partner with Zembo
(PIDG), which is managed as a private firm but and work with InfraCo and Mobility 54 to scale
funded by the governments of Britain, Nether- electric mobility industry on the continent,” she
lands and Switzerland. said.
Zembo co-founder Étienne Saint-Sernin said Mobility 54’s investment envisions accelerat-
the company is partnering with InfraCo Africa, ing carbon neutrality in Africa by electrifying the
DOB Equity, and Mobility 54 to continue devel- mobility industry. Toyota and CFAO will con-
oping electric boda bodas with charging stations tribute to deploying Zembo’s business in Africa
for customers. by leveraging the group’s automotive footprints.
“Zembo’s mission to improve incomes for Toyota and CFAO will work with Zembo to
Uganda’s boda boda riders while cutting air pol- generate a series of synergies with its existing
lution. We look forward to continuing to serve businesses and partners including a potential
our customers and making sustainable mobility collaboration with its battery and solar panel
a reality in Uganda,” Saint-Sernin said. businesses.
The $3.4mn will enable Zembo grow the Mobility’s chief executive officer Takeshi
number of electric motorcycles on the road by Watanabe said the motorcycles with carbon-free
approximately 2,000 and support development charging swap stations are contributing to the
of over 60 charging and battery swapping sta- carbon neutrality of Uganda where air pollution
tions across Kampala. Battery-charging stations is among the highest in Africa.
will be fuelled by solar power to expand carbon “Zembo’s e-motorcycles are also improving
neutral activities. income of boda boda drivers through lower fuel
InfraCo’s chief executive Gilles Vaes said and maintenance costs than conventional com-
Zembo is an exciting transaction for the com- bustion engines. We are committed to working
pany, which has invested in an all-electric with Zembo to help solve social and industrial
taxi-hailing service in Nairobi, Kenya. challenges,” he said.
“We are pleased to bring our experience of Kampala, among the most polluted capitals
the e-mobility sector to co-developing Zem- in the world, has an estimated 200,000 boda
bo’s offering in Uganda. Zembo has a great bodas in use. About 60% of people use motorcy-
track record of delivering electric two-wheeler cle taxis, most of which use petrol.™

P16 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 46 18•November•2021