Climate action
Solar-powered mobility
The first 100 AfricroozE e-bikes are now on the roads in Uganda. The project, financed by KfW subsidiary DEG, contributes to the expansion of green mobility in Africa.
AfricroozE
Initiator Jürgen Perschon explains the project goals in the video. (Source: KfW/Ssekitto Ibrahim/Thomas Schuch)
According to Germany's Federal Motor Transport Authority, the number of newly registered electric cars in Germany tripled in 2020. Combustion engines are still commonplace in Africa. The African e-bike, AfricroozE, has the ambition to be a real alternative here: an e-bike with a charging capacity of 460 Wh, a top speed of 30 km/h and a range of 50 kilometres. The AfricroozE has an upholstered seat for transporting passengers, obtains its electricity from emission-free photovoltaic systems and can carry up to 100 kilograms.
The project was initiated by the Hamburg-based non-profit organisation EURIST, the Africa-based NGO First African Bicycle Information Organisation and the bicycle manufacturer Hero Cycles. “The AfricroozE was designed using the expert know-how of our African partners,” explains EURIST founder Jürgen Perschon. “They recommended a low cross bar so that women can also ride while wearing skirts. We also needed to make it look like a motorcycle because the humble bicycle is not a status symbol in Africa. With the AfricroozE, we have reinvented the e-bike for the African continent.” KfW subsidiary DEG has been co-financing the project since 2020. Within the context of the develoPPP.de programme, this project is made possible by funds from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
More than 600 new e-bikes are planned to be delivered to Benin, Burkina Faso, Zambia, Tanzania and Togo in 2022. Further demand is also coming from Ethiopia, Namibia and Rwanda. Talks are also underway with potential partners in Egypt and Morocco.
develoPPP Program
KfW subsidiary DEG (Deutsche Investitions- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft) finances, advises and supports private companies operating in developing countries and emerging economies. Through its develoPPP programme, DEG is promoting projects on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) from German, European and local businesses that want to make long-term commitments to developing and emerging countries in a sustainable way.
Read moreIn Jinja, Uganda, 54-year-old Perschon has now already handed over the first 100 e-bikes. As taxis, ambulances and transport bikes, the AfricroozEs will support future economic life in Uganda. “The e-bikes create income opportunities and make mobility easier for women,” says Perschon. “Women are the economic driving forces on the African continent.” The demand for the e-bikes is high: more than 600 more e-bikes are planned to be delivered to Benin, Burkina Faso, Zambia, Tanzania and Togo in 2022. Perschon’s long-term goal is to achieve UNFCCC certification to confirm the project’s CO2 savings potential.
Published on KfW Stories: 25 April 2022.
The described project contributes to the following United Nationsʼ Sustainable Development Goals
Goal 7: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy
Close to 80 per cent of the energy produced worldwide still comes from fossil fuel sources. Burning fossil fuels also generates costs for the health system due to air pollution and costs for climate-related damages that harm the general public, not just those burning the fuel.
All United Nations member states adopted the 2030 Agenda in 2015. At its heart is a list of 17 goals for sustainable development, known as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Our world should become a place where people are able to live in peace with each other in ways that are ecologically compatible, socially just, and economically effective.
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