As per Valerie Labi, she had noticed a gap in the market for small vehicles that could deliver the growing number of online orders, and will not contaminate the air with petroleum exhaust.
She then, at that point, started putting on her thinking and innovative cap. As she continued looking for less expensive, cheaper, more convenient, safer transport in Ghana, business visionary Valerie Labi developed an electronic bicycle that can be charged as easily as a cell phone.
“It’s a morph between a motorcycle and a bicycle, but it’s electric so you don’t need petrol to ride it. It allows you to carry a load… You can charge them like you would your mobile phone. You go around 140km [87 miles] in range per day,” she told BBC Focus on Africa.
Wahu Portability’s e-bicycles cost US$2,000 (£1,650) forthright, or customers can pay US$30 each week for two years after which point they own the vehicle.
Entrepreneurs Should Exude Confidence In Their Ventures” – Motsepe
“Whilst you pay the subscriptions, we give you delivery demand to make sure you earn enough [money] to take home for you and your family, and pay off the vehicle,” Labi adds.
Valerie Labi is a visionary serial impact entrepreneur driving sustainable innovation across Africa. As the co-founder of Wahu Mobility Ltd. , Africa’s first electric vehicle manufacturing hub launched in Accra in 2023, she is pioneering the continent’s shift toward e-mobility solutions.
Wahu’s fleet-as-a-service platform offers affordable electric vehicles alongside subscription-based ownership, income-generating opportunities, and customized EV insurance. Valerie’s leadership has already brought Wahu’s signature eBike to market, with the first electric car designed and made in Ghana set to launch soon.
With a BSc in Economics from University of Southampton and a Masters in Sustainability Leadership from the University of Cambridge, Valerie’s career spans leadership roles at EY and various impact-driven ventures.
Her work has earned her accolades such as the Mandela Washington Fellowship and the Global Engineering Outstanding Professional Award. She continues to shape the future of sustainable transportation and job creation in Africa.
Catch her at The Bold New Normal Conference 2024.
Production has began at a rate of 200 bikes per month.
