InfraCo Africa, a Zimbabwe-based investment firm, has announced a US$2 million (Z$723.8 billion) agreement with mobility startup Mobility for Africa to deploy 400 electric vehicles in the country’s rural areas.

The vehicles, known as “hambas” (which means “go forward” in the native Ndebele language), are solar-powered and built in Harare, Zimbabwe’s capital.

According to a statement, the agreement also includes the production of 600 electric batteries and the installation of eight charging stations, with the goal of developing a sustainable transportation system to stimulate sustainable development, particularly in communities that are not yet served by Zimbabwe’s national electricity grid.

Read also Over Half of Businesses in Nigeria Planning to Expand Locally Despite Supply Chain, Cyber-Security, and Recruitment Challenges

“This partnership will enhance the role of rural women as key contributors to economic agricultural productivity, as well as gender equality and climate resilience as enshrined in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” Shantha Bloemen, CEO of Mobility for Africa, said.

A Look At What The Startup Does

Mobility for Africa, which was founded in 2019, claims that its solutions will improve access to doctors for patients who live far from health centers, as well as the transportation of goods to major Zimbabwean cities such as Bulawayo, Chitungwiza, Mutare, and Harare.

The InfraCo Africa and Mobility for Africa agreement follows two other landmark deals in Zimbabwe’s electric mobility sector.

Read also Ghanaian Healthtech Startup, Belayab Expands Pharmacy Chain In Ethiopia

Zuva Energy Solutions inked a contract with Electric Vehicle Center Africa (EVCA) in May to develop a network of electric vehicle charging stations in Zimbabwe’s capital. The European Union (EU) purchased 88 electric tricycles for women farmers in Domboshava, 27 kilometres from Harare, in August to stimulate the development of the country’s green economy.

Mobility for Africa Zimbabwe Mobility for Africa Zimbabwe

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. You can book a session and speak with him using the link: https://insightsbyexperts.com/view_expert/charles-rapulu-udoh