Africa’s transition toward cleaner and more affordable transportation is gaining new momentum as Spiro, one of the continent’s leading electric mobility companies, partners with Yadea, the world’s leading manufacturer of electric two-wheelers, to expand electric transport across African markets.
The strategic partnership brings together Yadea’s global manufacturing, research and development capabilities with Spiro’s growing African operating network and battery-swapping infrastructure. The companies aim to develop a commercially sustainable electric-mobility ecosystem capable of serving millions of commuters, delivery workers, logistics providers, businesses and commercial fleet operators.
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Under the agreement, Yadea will supply electric two-wheelers and related products for Spiro’s expanding markets, while Spiro will integrate the vehicles into its battery-swapping and energy infrastructure. The companies also plan to develop customised electric two-wheelers designed around African road conditions and the practical needs of commercial users.
The collaboration comes as African cities and businesses increasingly look for transportation solutions that can reduce operating costs while supporting cleaner urban mobility. For riders who depend on motorcycles for work and daily travel, battery-swapping technology can provide a practical alternative to conventional refuelling by allowing depleted batteries to be exchanged for charged ones within minutes.
Spiro currently operates across seven African countries, with more than 130,000 electric motorcycles and over 2,500 battery-swapping stations. The company says its network has completed more than 50 million battery swaps and enabled more than two billion kilometres of low-carbon travel.
The company’s expansion is also increasingly connected to local manufacturing and assembly. Spiro operates assembly facilities in Uganda, Kenya, Nigeria and Rwanda, supporting its ambition to develop electric vehicles in Africa for African markets and eventually for global markets.
That growing footprint gives the partnership an important local dimension. Rather than relying only on imported vehicles, the companies are seeking to connect international technology and manufacturing expertise with infrastructure, operational knowledge and production capacity already developing within African markets.
For Spiro, the agreement also marks a new stage of expansion following its latest $270 million funding round, which included investment from NewTrails Capital, a Chinese fund. The funding is supporting the company’s efforts to build an integrated electric mobility ecosystem combining vehicles, energy infrastructure and battery-swapping services.
Gagan Gupta, Spiro’s founder and chairman of Equitane, described the partnership as an endorsement of the company’s progress and an opportunity to help shape the next phase of electric mobility in emerging markets.
Anant Badjatya, Spiro’s chief executive, said the collaboration would help the company respond to growing demand for electric transportation at greater scale, while Yadea Senior Vice President Wang Jiazhong highlighted Africa’s potential as a major market for zero-emission mobility.
Founded in China in 2001, Yadea has sold more than 100 million electric two-wheelers worldwide and operates in more than 100 countries. The company says it has more than 2,000 patents related to electric-vehicle technology and a global retail network of more than 40,000 stores.
For Africa, the partnership arrives at a significant moment. Electric motorcycles are emerging as an increasingly visible part of the continent’s mobility landscape, while battery-swapping networks are creating new infrastructure around how vehicles are powered and used.
As Spiro expands its network and Yadea brings additional manufacturing and technology capabilities to the partnership, the collaboration could help accelerate the availability of electric transportation for African riders while supporting the growth of new mobility services, infrastructure and local industrial capacity.
The bigger story is Africa’s evolving mobility economy: a continent where cleaner transportation is increasingly being connected with technology, local production and new business opportunities.
