Fifty women are already in training: Rwanda's new e-motorcycle programme is putting women riders in business

In Rwanda, motorcycle taxis and delivery bikes are a big source of work — but women hold just 4% of transport jobs. A new programme is setting out to change that from the handlebars. Spiro, an electric-motorcycle company, and Entrepreneurial Solutions Partners have launched Women in E-Mobility: the first 50 women have already started training this month, in a pilot that aims to reach 500 women in Rwanda and 5,000 across Africa by 2030. Each participant learns to ride safely and also gets lessons in money, digital skills and running a business, lease-to-own financing for an electric motorcycle with battery swapping, and introductions to ride-hailing, delivery and logistics platforms so she can find customers from the start. The demand is there: a 2025 study in Kigali found 47.7% of women surveyed would consider becoming motorcycle taxi drivers.

SDG 5 · Gender equality — Mechanism: institutional program