E-Cargo Bikes “Made in Ghana”
Green Mobility Pilot Project in Ghana
The Ghanaian government wants to reduce the country’s CO2 emissions by 15 percent by 2030. Electric mobility offers a lot of potential – but high purchase costs, a lack of charging stations, and insufficient financing opportunities are just a few of the many challenges. To aid the transformation in Ghana’s transportation sector, Impact Hub Accra and Siemens Stiftung are launching a joint project geared toward introducing electric cargo bikes and encouraging sustainable production in the country.
Project
Getting electric cargo bikes on the roads
The project is based primarily in Ghana’s capital, Accra, and its fourth-largest city, Tamale, where 50 electric cargo bikes are being trialed alongside a corresponding social entrepreneurship model. Some of the bikes are made locally from recycled materials. The charging infrastructure is being put in place together with local stakeholders by building a network of five photovoltaic charging stations. At the same time, the project team is developing a financing system that is opening up the technology to socioeconomically disadvantaged sections of the population as well. Besides embedding climate-friendly mobility solutions systematically in its regions, therefore, the project is also creating green jobs and training placements. The intention is for women, in particular, to benefit from the employment opportunities and secure equal access to all the training positions on offer.
Network
Developing an e-mobility ecosystem
One of 100 Impact Hubs across the globe, Impact Hub Accra is a center for innovation, dialog, and entrepreneurship for the benefit of society. Building on this expertise, Impact Hub Accra and Siemens Stiftung are developing an advocacy platform focused on electric mobility. This will empower key local and regional stakeholders to learn more about electromobility in order to promote climate change adaptation measures. The exchange of experiences that is going on within the region and further afield is contributing to the further expansion of the electric mobility ecosystem in West Africa.
Partners
Funding under the International Climate Initiative
The project is funded under the framework of the International Climate Initiative (IKI), which is an important part of the German government’s international climate finance commitment. Since 2022 the IKI is implemented by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) in close cooperation with the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) and the Federal Foreign Office (AA). Through the IKI, the ministries jointly support approaches in developing and emerging countries to implement and ambitiously develop the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) anchored in the Paris Agreement.
The project is being run in partnership with Impact Hub Accra.
Results
4.3
tonnes of CO2 saved
53,000
km covered with e-bikes
32
direct jobs created
73%
recycled materials in the e-bike production
1
battery swapping station created
1
Net Zero e-mobility platform established
All current results of the project can be found in the report of Impact Hub Accra (as of November 2024).
Contacts
Would you like to work with us? Do you have any questions?
Project manager Siemens Stiftung
Sebastian Gruss
sebastian.gruss@siemens-stiftung.org
+49 1525 2686406
Project manager Impact Hub Accra
Bernard Adjei
bernard.adjei@impacthub.net
Chief Executive Officer Impact Hub Accra
Will Senyo
william.senyo@impacthub.net