Tech

Tesla watch your back! This Nigerian is building solar battery-powered buses that travel miles

Published

3 years ago

May 16, 2022

Africans are also raising their heads in the push for a greener world through technology as a Nigerian entrepreneur; Mustapha Gajibo has been converting petrol mini-buses into electric vehicles at his workshop.

Gajibo, who is based in Maiduguri, capital of Borno state in Northern Nigeria is now going a step further to build solar battery-powered buses from scratch in a push to promote clean energy and curb pollution.

The techpreneur in an interview with Reuters revealed that he is currently working on building of bus that could cover up to 200 kilometers in one charge.

“As I am speaking to you now at our workshop, we are building a 12-seater bus which can cover up to 200 kilometres on one charge.

“Before the end of this month we are going to unveil that bus, which will be the first of its kind in the whole of Nigeria,” he said, adding that his workshop had capacity to produce 15 buses a month.” Gajibo said.

While electric cars are becoming popular across the world they are yet to become trend in Nigeria and Africa at large.

The Nigerian Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Otunba Niyi Adebayo in February 2022 unveiled Nigeria’s first locally assembled Electric car – Hyundai Kona manufactured by Stallion Group and its subsidiary, Hyundai Nigeria.

Gajibo also revealed that shortages of foreign currency and high exchange rates are part of the challenges of his venture. The situation makes it difficult to import parts. So, he is looking to source them in Nigeria.

“We have been substituting some materials with local materials to bring our costs down and maximise profit.”

Electric cars do not consume greenhouse gas-emitting gasoline and do not directly create carbon dioxide. Although, it remains true, however, that CO₂ is a by-product of the electrical generation needed to charge the car’s batteries.

Elon Musk’s Tesla is the biggest electric car manufacturer in the world as the demand for the eco-friendly product is increasing in the West but with giant stride like that of Gajibo coming from Africa, it will only be a matter of time before the technology becomes circulated and competitive. Hopefully, Africa will be a lead role in the move.

Related Topics:Featured Renewable energy Solar Tesla

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Tech

Orange Egypt earmarks $52.7m to support African startups

Published

9 hours ago

November 19, 2024

Isaac Dachen

Orange Egypt has earmarked the sum of $52.7 million to support African startups in what is going to be the largest investment to drive a youth-focused tech revolution.

According to the company, the mammoth investment will see over 40 startups benefitting from the funds, with most of them being Egyptian companies.

‘It’s a boost for Egypt’s growing entrepreneurial ecosystem and a step closer to cementing its spot as a top startup hub in Africa,” the company said in a statement.

The investment is coming on the heels of the telco signing a deal with the Egyptian government to roll out the second phase of its 5G licensing.

The statement noted that with Egypt’s startup game already strong and ranking as the third most funded country in the MENA region, “the numbers speak for themselves.”

“In 2022, Egyptian startups closed 143 funding deals worth nearly $766.7 million, outpacing the $606.79 million raised the year before.

“Plus over 2,100 startups employing more than 50,000 people, the country’s ecosystem is one of the top 10 emerging startup hubs globally.

“The Egyptian government is all in on this. And since launching initiatives like Egypt Ventures in 2017, they’ve been backing startups to drive innovation and growth in the tech space.

“Orange Egypt’s latest move only adds fuel to this already blazing fire, paving the way for more opportunities and a stronger startup culture across Africa,” it added.

Tech

10 African startups selected for final of Latitude59 pitch competition

Published

1 day ago

November 18, 2024

Isaac Dachen

Ten African startups have been selected for the final round of the Latitude59 pitch competition which will see the winner qualify to pitch at the main event in Tallinn, Estonia, with the chance of winning the grand prize $1.1 million.

The Latitude59 pitch competition which is in 12th edition, is Estonia’s flagship startup and tech event and attracted over 3,500 attendees, including more than 900 startup representatives and nearly 600 investors when it was hosted in Tallinn in May.

According to the organizers,
Latitude59 is seeking early-stage startups from across Africa to compete for the chance to pitch at the next edition of its pitch competition, which will take place at next year’s edition of the event.

The event organizers said a total of 382 applications were received from 37 African countries, with the top 10 now selected and will pitch at an event in Kenya on November 28, where the African winner will be chosen.

Eight of the selected ventures are Kenyan and include Eco Nasi, which transforms pineapple pulp waste into high-quality vegan leather.

Others are Grekkon, a platform which scales up moisture sensors for smallholder farmers; NoMa, a tech platform that digitises school transportation; and Paycloud, which is building a neobank to help MSMEs in Africa to pay, get paid, and access credit through payment aggregation.

The other selected Kenyan ventures are Roadrims, which provides reliable, efficient, and cost-effective logistics; Twiva, a social commerce platform; VunaPay, which provides instant payments to farmers; and Zerobionic, which is developing a human-like robotic arm to help students with hearing impairments.

From Nigeria comes AcemyX, an LMS helping students prepare for exams with personalised learning tools and study materials, with Tanzania’s Afya Mama, which is providing answers to questions pertaining maternal care and reproductive health to women via SMS and web app, completing the list.