{"id":2000111984,"date":"2026-05-14T23:19:47","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T21:19:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/?p=2000111984"},"modified":"2026-05-14T23:19:49","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T21:19:49","slug":"spiro-and-esp-sign-mou-to-empower-women-entrepreneurs-in-rwandas-e-mobility-sector","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/spiro-and-esp-sign-mou-to-empower-women-entrepreneurs-in-rwandas-e-mobility-sector\/","title":{"rendered":"Spiro and ESP sign MoU to empower women entrepreneurs in Rwanda\u2019s e-mobility sector"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The initiative seeks to create a more inclusive and sustainable mobility ecosystem by enabling women to access electric motorbikes, entrepreneurship opportunities, and business support, while contributing to Rwanda\u2019s green transport ambitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking during the signing ceremony on the sidelines of the Africa CEO Forum in Kigali on Thursday, May 14, Spiro Chief Executive Officer Kaushik Burman described the partnership as a major step toward building a more inclusive e-mobility industry across Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is a landmark milestone for us because women in the family are not just the caregivers. They are the actual doers,\u201d Burman said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf we can empower women in the family to be mobile and go ahead and create, become successful entrepreneurs, it is going to create a massive flywheel of more women entrepreneurs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Burman said the initiative is about more than simply providing electric motorbikes, noting that Spiro envisions women participating across the entire value chain, including energy networks, sales, distribution, and manufacturing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not just about the motorbikes. I think in future we can expand this partnership to inviting women entrepreneurs to become sales and distribution partners. They can run the energy network and create more jobs,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that women already make up around 40% of workers in Spiro\u2019s assembly and manufacturing operations, including engineers, diploma holders, and blue-collar workers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe way I view this is not just about bike entrepreneurs, but entrepreneurship across the value chain and massive social impact,\u201d Burman added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ESP Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer Eric Kacou said the partnership combines Spiro\u2019s electric mobility infrastructure with ESP\u2019s expertise in entrepreneurship development and business support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe purpose of the MoU is to make sure that we can have a more equitable e-mobility industry in Africa by enabling young women to have the same opportunities as young men when it comes to having access to an electric bicycle,\u201d Kacou said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBeyond the livelihoods, it is also an opportunity for these women to mature into entrepreneurs and to support the next generations of Africans.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kacou explained that ESP will help structure and implement the program through targeted recruitment, training, and financial support mechanisms aimed at helping women succeed in the sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to him, the initiative will focus on three critical pillars: mindset, access to assets, and entrepreneurial skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat makes the difference between a successful entrepreneur and one who struggles is what they know about financial education and what they know about growing their businesses,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ESP plans to roll out the initiative in phases, selecting participants through an application process before providing training in business management, financial literacy, and motorbike operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kacou noted that Rwanda offers a strong environment for piloting innovative solutions that can later be expanded across Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Burman said Spiro is already committed to investing in batteries and battery-swapping infrastructure to support deployment as the initiative scales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is not a sprint, this is a marathon. This is a journey,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ESP is a Pan-African consulting and investment firm focused on supporting entrepreneurs through technical expertise, incubation, and financing support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The organisation has previously managed programs supporting women- and youth-led businesses across sectors, including tourism, construction, and agribusiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Women in E-Mobility initiative is expected to create new pathways for women to become riders, entrepreneurs, and technicians within Africa\u2019s growing clean mobility ecosystem while supporting Rwanda\u2019s broader climate and economic inclusion goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Spiro, Africa\u2019s largest electric motorbike maker, and Entrepreneurial Solutions Partners (ESP) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to launch the Women in E-Mobility initiative in Rwanda, a program aimed at expanding women\u2019s participation in Africa\u2019s fast-growing electric mobility sector.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The initiative seeks to create a more inclusive and sustainable mobility ecosystem by enabling women to access electric motorbikes, entrepreneurship opportunities, and business support, while contributing to Rwanda\u2019s green transport ambitions.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The MoU was signed on the sidelines of the Africa CEO Forum in Kigali on Thursday, May 14, 2026.
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Spiro Chief Executive Officer Kaushik Burman described the partnership as a major step toward building a more inclusive e-mobility industry across Africa.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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ESP Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer Eric Kacou said the partnership combines Spiro\u2019s electric mobility infrastructure with ESP\u2019s expertise in entrepreneurship development and business support.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Spiro, Africa\u2019s largest electric motorbike maker, and Entrepreneurial Solutions Partners (ESP) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to launch the Women in E-Mobility initiative in Rwanda, a program aimed at expanding women\u2019s participation in Africa\u2019s fast-growing electric mobility sector.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":131,"featured_media":2000111990,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[151,69],"byline":[192],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-2000111984","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","tag-editors-choice","tag-homehighlights","byline-wycliffe-nyamasege"],"bylines":[{"id":192,"name":"Wycliffe Nyamasege","slug":"wycliffe-nyamasege","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":131}],"contributors":[{"id":192,"name":"Wycliffe Nyamasege","slug":"wycliffe-nyamasege","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":131}],"featured_image":{"id":2000111990,"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-05-14-at-8.48.03-PM.jpeg","alt":"","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","width":1280,"height":853,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-05-14-at-8.48.03-PM.jpeg","width":150,"height":100},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-05-14-at-8.48.03-PM.jpeg","width":300,"height":200},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-05-14-at-8.48.03-PM.jpeg","width":768,"height":512},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-05-14-at-8.48.03-PM.jpeg","width":1024,"height":682},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-05-14-at-8.48.03-PM.jpeg","width":1280,"height":853}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000111984","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/131"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2000111984"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000111984\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2000111991,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000111984\/revisions\/2000111991"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000111990"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2000111984"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2000111984"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2000111984"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=2000111984"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=2000111984"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}