WHO
Mobility for Africa (MFA) operates a distributed energy-as-a-service platform that provides renewable, communitybased transport and mobile energy solutions for rural Africa. By integrating modular solar generation, battery swapping, and custom-built electric tricycles (the “Hamba”),
MFA monetises clean energy through productive use. We are pioneering an affordable, green mobility-as-a-service model designed to empower rural farmers, particularly women, within a 30km radius of agricultural hubs..
WHY
Sub-Saharan Africa faces a severe rural mobility crisis. With fewer than 40% of rural Africans living within two kilometres of an all-season road, small-scale farmers lack the means to transport goods to market efficiently. Currently, households spend 20-30% of their income on unreliable transport.
Traditional options like motorcycles are structurally prohibitive for women wearing skirts, leaving rural women to face the daily drudgery of carrying heavy loads on their heads, resulting in reduced agricultural productivity, post-harvest losses, and entrenched poverty.
HOW
MFA provides a rural electric vehicle (EV) ecosystem tailored for off-grid communities.
The Hamba E-Tricycle: A custom-designed, low-speed electric tricycle capable of carrying up to 400kg (equivalent to 60 cabbages) over a 100km range on a single charge.
Solar Battery Swapping: Decentralised solar PV charging stations and bespoke dual-purpose LFP batteries. Batteries are swapped for a fee, providing clean energy for mobility and secondary productive uses (e.g., agricultural tools, milling, and irrigation).
