The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has taken an unexpected turn in its grant allocations for East Africa. Traditionally focused on biodiversity, water, and sanitation, USAID has recently awarded $1.5 million to BasiGo, a Kenyan startup specializing in assembling electric buses. This financial boost aims to “support pilot testing and scale-up” of electric vehicles in Rwanda, where BasiGo is expanding its activities in the field of electromobility.

The American support comes at a crucial time for BasiGo, as it plans to accelerate the electrification of public transport in Rwanda. The country faces the dual challenges of increasing fuel prices and the pressing need to diversify its public transportation offerings. Jit Bhattacharya, the founder of BasiGo in 2017, is optimistic about the impact of the funding. He believes that their innovative Pay-As-You-Drive payment solution, combined with the support of the Rwandan government, will facilitate bus operators in Kigali to swiftly incorporate more electric buses into their fleets.

This financial injection from USAID, facilitated through its Development Innovation Ventures program, is expected to position BasiGo as a key player in the East African electric vehicle market. The initial phase involves deploying two electric buses in the Rwandan capital, Kigali, as part of a pilot program. These buses have already arrived in Mombasa, a port city in southern Kenya.

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Looking ahead, BasiGo has ambitious plans to deliver a total of 200 electrified vehicles to Rwanda by the end of 2024. This initiative is part of a commercial partnership established with the Rwandan company AC Group in July 2023. The electric fleet will primarily be operated by well-known public transport operators, including Kigali Bus Service, Royal Express, and Volcano. BasiGo intends to provide these operators with comprehensive services, encompassing recharging and maintenance, further solidifying its commitment to the electrification of public transport in the region.

Charles Rapulu Udoh

Charles Rapulu Udoh is a Lagos-based lawyer, who has several years of experience working in Africa’s burgeoning tech startup industry. He has closed multi-million dollar deals bordering on venture capital, private equity, intellectual property (trademark, patent or design, etc.), mergers and acquisitions, in countries such as in the Delaware, New York, UK, Singapore, British Virgin Islands, South Africa, Nigeria etc. He’s also a corporate governance and cross-border data privacy and tax expert. 
As an award-winning writer and researcher, he is passionate about telling the African startup story, and is one of the continent’s pioneers in this regard