Electric mobility company Spiro and consulting firm Entrepreneurial Solutions Partners (ESP) have launched a programme to help 5,000 African women establish businesses using electric motorcycles by 2030.
The Women in E-Mobility programme will provide participants with riding and business training, access to electric motorcycles through a lease-to-own arrangement, and links to ride-hailing, delivery and logistics platforms to help them generate income.
In a statement on Wednesday, October 28, the partners said 50 women had begun training in Rwanda, marking the first phase of a pilot programme that aims to reach 500 participants in the country before expanding to other African markets.
The initiative is designed to help women overcome barriers to entering the transport sector by combining access to motorcycles with the skills, financing and commercial opportunities needed to run sustainable businesses.
Participants will receive training in safe riding, road regulations, financial management, digital tools and small-business operations. They will also be able to acquire Spiro electric motorcycles through a lease-to-own model and access the company’s battery-swapping network.
The programme will connect trained participants with ride-hailing, delivery and logistics platforms, giving them potential routes to customers and opportunities to earn from their motorcycles.
Spiro said women account for about four per cent of Rwanda’s transport workforce, despite evidence of interest in the sector. A 2025 study in Kigali cited by the company found that 47.7 per cent of women surveyed would consider working as motorcycle taxi drivers.
Spiro Group Chief Executive Officer Anant Badjatya said the programme was intended to help more women benefit from the economic opportunities emerging from the transition to electric mobility.
“Electric mobility is creating new economic opportunities across Africa, and we want more women to be part of this transformation,” Badjatya said.
He added that the company hoped to encourage a new generation of women entrepreneurs who would help shape the future of transportation on the continent.
See also: Uganda Launches Medical Drone Project to Deliver Supplies to Remote Health Facilities
Rwanda was selected for the initial phase because Spiro already operates there, assembling electric motorcycles and maintaining a battery-swapping network.
ESP will lead the entrepreneurship component, including skills development and support to help participants access financing and build commercially viable businesses.
ESP Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Eric Kacou said providing motorcycles alone would not be enough to ensure that women succeed in the sector.
“For women entrepreneurs, having access to a motorcycle is only the first step. Building a successful business also requires skills, financing, customers and ongoing support,” Kacou said.
Founded in 2011, ESP works across 28 countries and has offices in Kigali, Abidjan, Nairobi and Dakar. The organisation said it has supported more than 12,900 micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, contributed to 43,153 direct jobs and helped businesses access $104.5 million in financing.
It has also reached more than 23,700 young women through its programmes. Its institutional partners include the Mastercard Foundation, the World Bank Group and the African Development Bank.
The Rwanda pilot will assess participants’ progress, earnings and business performance to determine how the initiative could be expanded. If the programme delivers the expected results, the partners plan to extend it to other countries where Spiro operates between 2027 and 2030.
The expansion will depend partly on securing support from development finance institutions, impact investors, governments and commercial partners to help fund training, provide financing and create business opportunities for participants.
Spiro says it operates in seven African countries and has more than 156,000 electric motorcycles on the road, supported by over 2,500 battery-swapping stations. The company also reports having completed more than 57 million battery swaps.
It assembles electric motorcycles in Uganda, Kenya, Nigeria and Rwanda, positioning the company to expand the programme across markets where it already has an operational presence.
About the Author
Cecilia Attah is a tech analyst with a degree from Benue State University. She covers tech news and startups at TechRegard with a focus on how technology is transforming Africa and shaping the global landscape.
