Spiro and Entrepreneurial Solutions Partners (ESP) have launched a pilot programme in Rwanda targeting 500 women entrepreneurs, with plans to expand the initiative across Africa to reach 5,000 participants by 2030.
The Women in E-Mobility programme combines motorcycle riding and road safety training with business skills, financing and access to commercial opportunities, seeking to help women establish businesses using electric motorcycles.
The first 50 women began training in October 2026, marking the start of the pilot. The programme will initially assess participants’ progress, income generation and business performance before expanding to other African markets where Spiro operates between 2027 and 2030.
The initiative targets women’s underrepresentation in the transport sector.
Women account for just four percent of transport workers in Rwanda, although a 2025 study in Kigali found that 47.7 percent of women surveyed would consider becoming motorcycle taxi drivers.
Participants will receive training in riding, road safety, financial literacy, digital skills and entrepreneurship. They will also have access to financing arrangements, including lease-to-own options, to acquire Spiro electric motorcycles and use its battery-swapping network.
The programme will also connect participants with ride-hailing, delivery and logistics platforms to help them secure customers and generate income from their businesses.
“Electric mobility is creating new economic opportunities across Africa, and we want more women to be part of this transformation. Through this programme, we are giving women the tools to become professional drivers, build their own businesses and generate income,” said Anant Badjatya, Spiro Group chief executive.
ESP co-founder and chief executive Eric Kacou said access to motorcycles alone would not be sufficient to establish viable businesses.
“Building a successful business also requires skills, financing, customers and ongoing support,” Mr Kacou said.
Spiro operates in seven African countries and says it has more than 156,000 electric motorcycles and over 2,500 battery-swapping stations. The company also reports having recorded more than 57 million battery swaps.
ESP, a consulting and investment firm founded in 2011, operates across 28 countries and has offices in Kigali, Abidjan, Nairobi and Dakar. The firm says it has supported more than 12,900 micro, small and medium-sized enterprises.
