Uganda is one of the 10 fastest growing economies in Africa with a GDP growth rate of 6.5% (2019) and its capital's population is projected to reach 4.1M by 2024\. Motorcycle taxis, known in East Africa as boda-bodas, are the most popular form of transportation in the country, as they are fast and easily accessible. About 70% of the population uses them on a regular basis. They are currently up to 200,000 boda-bodas in Kampala, a number expected to nearly triple by 2050\. Apart from demand, falling battery prices are contributing to the rise in e-mobility in Africa. Country policies and laws are adapting to the changing environment and are favourable to an environmentally conscious alternative to petrol vehicles. Petrol motorcycles have unwelcome downsides. They are expensive to run due to the ever-rising cost of fuel, giving decreasing returns to the owner who cannot always increase his price due to economic hardships currently faced by most Ugandans. The motorbikes are noisy and emissions from the exhaust are polluting and contribute significantly to global warming. To address these challenges, Zembo is introducing electric motorcycles in Uganda. Zembo is using the innovations from Solar PayGo model in the urban mobility sector. Zembo provides affordable electric motorcycles to self-employed drivers. Their battery-as-a-service model allows riders to swap their batteries anytime at given battery swap stations and reduce the cost of their motorcycle. The company provides a battery for free to each driver but Zembo remains the battery's owner. It operates a network of 30 swap stations, comprising solar, hybrid and grid-connected recharge stations where batteries are charged. The batteries are mostly charged with hydropower (from national grid) and solar (connected to PV). This project comprises developing a network of automatic battery swap stations where swaps can be done faster to increase swap efficiency, scale-up operations and expand the solar recharge station network. The batteries will be stored in a charging cabinet, where they will be charged with a combination of solar and grid energy. The automatic swap stations will be strategically located across the Kampala metropolitan area. This will enable all Zembo riders to swap their batteries as conveniently as possible; making swapping batteries simple, easy, and efficient. This project will be the first in Uganda to install digital swap stations, accelerating the transition to electric vehicles, mitigating air pollution and CO2 emissions in African cities, with lower operating and maintenance costs.

ion Ventures and Zonke Energy will develop a microgrid electrification system for a low-income urban community in South Africa, off grid. The project is designed to hit all three areas of the energy trilemma of: • Cost • Emissions • Security of supply and energy access In South Africa, nearly one million households live in urban informal settlements without grid-connected electricity. Zonke, supported by ion, intend to develop and operate a community electrification system that will build on an early prototype that Zonke has developed. The project will have a focus on empowering local partners and communities, promoting knowledge dissemination both within the local township, and local academic centres.