This woman’s e-mobility company opened Ghana’s first electric vehicle plant

Wahu Mobility, a producer of electric bikes, recently unveiled its first EV assembly plant in Accra, Ghana. Its electric vehicle plant is also the first in the West African country.

Per The Innovation Spark, Valerie Labi and Toni Heigl of Cargo Bikes and Mana Mobility collaborated to build Wahu Mobility, which was founded in 2022.

The company now has over 100 e-bikes and hopes to sell over 2000 of them due to its increased capacity. Leading the charge to revolutionize on-demand delivery while emphasizing the empowerment of both drivers and riders, the company builds bikes tailored to African conditions and offers its Ride-to-Own service, which allows riders to purchase e-bikes with flexible weekly payments.

Wahu Mobility’s co-founder and CEO, Valerie Larbi, said that the company’s primary goal is creating locally produced electric vehicles that will serve both Ghana and the entire African continent, the Business&Financial Times reported.

Labi remarked, “We have started with the two-wheel electric bike and over time will scale up to other vehicles, right here from this factory in Accra. We have our factory set up with the capability to do 200 bikes per month for export not just in ECOWAS but across the continent.”

“Electric vehicle manufacturing presents Africa with a significant opportunity to also leapfrog the rest of the world in terms of mobility just like mobile money. The world did not expect Africa to get this big with mobile money but we did. Therefore, the same can be done with e-vehicles but there is the need to create e-zones and enclaves in the heart of the city to be able to design and produce different kinds of e-vehicles,” she added.

The organization leverages electric-powered vehicles to create a cleaner, greener environment, all the while using its digital platform to extend a suite of services to empower the rider which include facilitating income generation opportunities, access to crucial information, promoting ride safety, and nurturing resilience among its rider community.

The Business&Financial Times noted that the Wahu bike is an electric bike designed to provide sustainable and affordable urban mobility. The bike is equipped with advanced features, including a dual-swappable battery, tracking device, battery management system, and a smart lock controllable via a mobile app. It can transport a weight of up to 150 kilograms and offers multiple riding modes. Thus, the bike can be used for both personal transport and delivery.

The German family Schörghuber Group’s family office, Blue Lion, made a sizable investment in Wahu Mobility in 2023 so that the company could increase its production capacity, make R&D investments, improve its marketing strategies, and widen its distribution network. According to Innovative Spark, the company also received additional money from Altree Capital.