Mobility for Africa
Mobility for Africa designs, manufactures, and deploys the Hamba electric tricycle with swappable LFP batteries and off-grid solar charging for last-mile rural transport. It serves small-scale farmers, rural healthcare providers, and agricultural aggregators in Zimbabwe through lease-to-purchase and fleet management subscriptions.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersHarare, Zimbabwe
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Mobility for Africa does
Mobility for Africa (MFA) is a Harare-headquartered e-mobility company that designs, manufactures, and operates the "Hamba," a custom-built electric tricycle paired with a swappable LFP battery pack and off-grid solar charging infrastructure. Founded in 2018/2019 and registered in Mauritius, the company targets rural last-mile transport in southern Africa, where average smallholder-to-main-road distances of approximately 23 km and very low vehicle ownership ratios create severe transport bottlenecks. Core technology comprises a 60-mile range, 400 kg cargo-capacity trike with a bench seat configured for women users; a bespoke 48vDC 5kWhr LFP battery pack engineered for off-road, long-cycle rural use; an integrated DC-to-DC solar charging and storage module; and a battery management system co-developed with Fourier Energy that includes IoT functionality over LoRaWAN with geo-fencing. Hamba vehicles and batteries are assembled at MFA's Msasa, Harare facility, with operational sites in Domboshava and Chipinge.
The company's revenue model blends a lease-to-purchase subscription (weekly fees covering battery swap and maintenance for 400 km of weekly travel) with fleet management services available to fleets as small as three units, plus hardware sales of vehicles and batteries. Customer segments are diversified across rural small-scale farmers (often women-led), government health facilities and clinics (e.g., Igava Clinic for maternal transport), agricultural aggregators, women-led small businesses, and youth transport groups. Distribution runs through direct fleet management and lease-to-purchase channels domestically, with government partnerships for regional pilots. Total disclosed capital raised is approximately US$2 million from InfraCo Africa in December 2022 to fund a 400-vehicle deployment, supplemented by donor support from EEP Africa, AECF, and Anglo American, alongside a US-registered charitable affiliate (Mobility for Africa Fund) channeling philanthropic subsidies.
MFA has positioned itself for SADC-wide scale, with active outreach to Malawi (June 2025 government delegation visit) and stated plans for Zambia, supported by 2023 industry recognition (Ashden Awards Runner-Up, AFSIA Productive Use Application of the Year). The company faces a notable legal overhang in the form of a federal IP theft suit filed against Toyota Mobility Foundation in the Northern District of California, alleging misappropriation of the Hamba design. The competitive position rests on an integrated ecosystem (vehicle + battery + charging + trained technician network) that competitors in rural African e-mobility do not currently match at the same depth.
Mobility for Africa firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Mobility for Africa
- Legal name
- Mobility for Africa
- Website
- https://mobilityforafrica.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Mobility for Africa designs, manufactures, and deploys the Hamba electric tricycle with swappable LFP batteries and off-grid solar charging for last-mile rural transport. It serves small-scale farmers, rural healthcare providers, and agricultural aggregators in Zimbabwe through lease-to-purchase and fleet management subscriptions.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Mobility for Africa industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Electric Vehicles and Rural Mobility
- NAICS
- Automotive Equipment Rental and Leasing (5321), Truck, Utility Trailer, and RV (Recreational Vehicle) Rental and Leasing (532120)
- SIC
- Services-Auto Rental & Leasing (No Drivers) (7510)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Micro-Mobility & Two-/Three-Wheeler Fleet Leasing/Subscription (E-bikes, E-scooters, E-motorcycles) (TLABAHAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Micromobility Charging & Battery Swapping Services (THADAGAL), Corporate EV Rental Programs & Charging Coordination (THADAOAK)
Keywords
Where Mobility for Africa is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Harare
- HQ country
- Zimbabwe
- HQ region
- Africa
Offices4 records
Markets served
Mobility for Africa business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Fleet Management Services: MFA provides complete fleet management systems for small fleets (as small as 3 units) including mechanical team, online supply/inventory management, customer management, driver training, repairs and maintenance, and community engagement. Revenue generated through weekly fees for battery swapping and maintenance services.
- Lease-to-Purchase Model: Lease-to-purchase arrangements for the Hamba e-tricycle targeting women-led small businesses, youth groups, and small-scale contract farmers. Weekly fees cover 400km of travel per week including battery swapping and maintenance.
- Electric Vehicle Manufacturing: Manufacturing and deployment of electric vehicles (tricycles) and batteries for rural communities, funded through investment partnerships.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Weekly battery swapping and maintenance fee covering 400km of travel per week |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Mobility for Africa product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Mobility for Africa designs, manufactures, and deploys the Hamba electric off-road tricycle along with a bespoke swappable LFP battery system and integrated off-grid solar charging stations for rural communities. The company sells and lease-to-purchases these vehicles to small-scale farmers, youth transport groups, government health programs, and agricultural aggregators, bundling them with fleet management, driver training, and weekly battery-swapping maintenance services.
Product overview
Mobility for Africa offers a unified portfolio of electric mobility products and services for rural African communities. The core offering centers on The Hamba electric tricycle, supported by bespoke MFA Battery Packs (48vDC, 5kWhr LFP) and an Integrated Charging System. The company provides fleet management services and battery swapping maintenance as add-on services. The Mobility for Africa Fund operates as a separate not-for-profit entity supporting subsidies and research. All products work together within an off-grid, community-based renewable power ecosystem designed for rural, off-road environments in Zimbabwe with expansion planned to Zambia and the broader SADC region.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Hamba: The first African, electric, off-road tricycle branded and backstopped by trained community support services
- Mobility for Africa Fund
Products and services
- The Hamba Electric Tricycle African-made electric off-road tricycle with a 60-mile range, 400-kilogram cargo bed, and bench seat designed for women, powered by community-based off-grid energy supply for last-mile mobility in rural Africa. Targeted at small-scale farmers, women entrepreneurs, youth transport groups, and rural healthcare and agriculture fleets.
- MFA Battery Pack (LFP Swappable Battery) 48vDC, 5kWhr swappable lithium-ion LFP battery pack designed for off-road, long range and lifespan with charging ease. Delivers 100km range with a 400kg load, with inherent safety, range retention, and lowest pack cost. Used by Hamba tricycle operators and rural energy customers.
- Integrated Charging System Efficient off-grid solar charging and energy storage system with DC-to-DC charge efficiency. Supports charging via solar or mains grid, includes built-in uninterruptible power supply, programmable for multiple scenarios, energy storage facility, and an all-in-one ergonomic stable module with pest resistance. Deployed at Hamba battery-swap sites such as Domboshava and Chipinge.
Quantifiable outcome
- 3x increase in agricultural production
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Mobility for Africa
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Mobility for Africa technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Mobility for Africa partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and strategic.
- Fourier EnergycoreBattery technology partner providing LFP battery packs and Battery Management System (BMS) expertise. Founded in September 2017, Fourier Energy aims to provide affordable, reliable and sustainable energy storage solutions with self-developed high-efficient Modular Battery Pack. Richard Zhao (Founder, CEO) has PhD in Electrical Engineering from UT Austin and previous experience at Tesla and Facebook.
- Gavi, the Vaccine AlliancemajorGlobal health partnership that featured Mobility for Africa's work showing how electric tricycles are saving lives in rural Zimbabwe. The Gavi story highlights Igava Clinic surpassing its vaccination targets by using the Hamba.
- Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (ZERA)strategicGovernment regulatory body that organized the Malawian Government delegation visit to MFA operations. ZERA facilitates learning about E-mobility between Zimbabwe and other SADC countries.
- Malawi Energy Regulation Authority (MERA)strategicGovernment energy regulatory authority from Malawi that visited MFA operations along with Ministry of Energy-Malawi, Ministry of Transport Malawi, and climate team to learn about E-mobility solutions for potential expansion to Malawi.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Mobility for Africa competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Songa Mobility: Kenya-based electric three-wheeler mobility company for low-income populations, built by Exa Innovation Studio. Directly comparable to MFA's Hamba: same e-trike form factor, same productive-use customer base in East Africa, and indeed the subject of MFA's IP theft litigation against Toyota Mobility Foundation.
- Spiro: Pan-African electric motorcycle and battery-swap operator active in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Nigeria, and Benin. Closely comparable to MFA through similar battery-swap + lease model targeting low-income riders, but on two-wheelers rather than three-wheelers and serving urban rather than rural customers.
- Ampersand: Rwanda-headquartered electric motorcycle company with battery-swap stations for taxi riders. Comparable as a battery-swap-based e-mobility platform in Sub-Saharan Africa targeting productive-use riders, though focused on two-wheelers and urban motorcycle taxi use cases.
Emerging players
- Opibus: Kenya-based EV company building African-designed electric motorcycles, buses, and conversion kits with local manufacturing. Comparable through its Africa-localized EV engineering and conversion approach, though focused on motorbikes and buses rather than e-tricycles.
- eWaka Africa: Nigerian e-mobility startup providing electric two-wheelers with battery-swap and lease-to-own financing to gig-economy riders. Comparable as an African rural/emerging-market e-mobility lease platform, though smaller and earlier stage than MFA.
Regional players
- BasiGo: Kenyan electric bus and mass-transit startup offering pay-as-you-drive battery leasing. Comparable as a battery-as-a-service EV operator in East Africa, but targets formal public transport operators rather than rural smallholders.
- MAX (Metro Africa Xpress): Lagos-headquartered mobility-fintech operating motorcycle ride-hailing and asset financing for drivers across Nigeria, Ghana, and other West African markets. Comparable through its driver-asset-leasing model for two-wheeler transport, though it does not yet field electric vehicles.
Broad incumbents
- Gogoro: Taiwan-headquartered global leader in electric scooter battery-swapping with millions of swaps completed. Comparable as the canonical battery-swap business model that MFA's Hamba operation pattern-matches, though Gogoro operates at vastly larger urban scale.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Mobility for Africa social profiles
Digital presenceMobility for Africa financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Mobility for Africa leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles14 records
Mobility for Africa funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Mobility for Africa M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Mobility for Africa
What does Mobility for Africa do?
Mobility for Africa designs, manufactures, and deploys the Hamba electric off-road tricycle along with a bespoke swappable LFP battery system and integrated off-grid solar charging stations for rural communities. The company sells and lease-to-purchases these vehicles to small-scale farmers, youth transport groups, government health programs, and agricultural aggregators, bundling them with fleet management, driver training, and weekly battery-swapping maintenance services.
Is Mobility for Africa a public or private company?
Mobility for Africa is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Mobility for Africa founded?
Mobility for Africa was founded in 2019. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Mobility for Africa based?
Mobility for Africa is headquartered in Harare, Zimbabwe, in the Africa region.
How does Mobility for Africa make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Fleet Management Services are the primary driver. The others are lease-to-Purchase Model and electric Vehicle Manufacturing.
Who are Mobility for Africa's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Songa Mobility, Spiro and Ampersand. Emerging players are Opibus and eWaka Africa. Regional players are BasiGo and MAX (Metro Africa Xpress). Gogoro is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Mobility for Africa have an API?
No public API is recorded for Mobility for Africa.
What industry is Mobility for Africa in?
Mobility for Africa's product category is Electric Vehicles and Rural Mobility. Its primary akta.pro industry code is TLABAHAI, Micro-Mobility & Two-/Three-Wheeler Fleet Leasing/Subscription (E-bikes, E-scooters, E-motorcycles), with a secondary code of THADAGAL, Micromobility Charging & Battery Swapping Services. Its NAICS code is 5321 and its SIC code is 7510.