Follow Wahu, not the musician

Hey, 

A few weeks ago, I heard a friend joke about how they happened to order an Uber motorcycle and ended up with an electric one.

He said it didn’t feel right because it wasn’t as noisy as he was used to. Still, it’s surreal to imagine that this is where we’re headed, a silent ride!

Welcome to Green Jobs Rising - where we uncover experts active on LinkedIn who are making the green transition possible, and recommend them to you. 

Our recommendation this week: Valerie Labi, co-founder and CEO of Wahu Mobility Ltd and co-founder Cargo Bikes Africa.

Wahu Mobility Ltd is a mobility company that locally designs and manufactures connected EVs for Africa and the wider world. 

Ah, no it has nothing to do with Wahu kagwi,  though imagine if Nameless was behind an EV startup!😀

The idea for Wahu, which means “horse” in the Dagbani language of northern Ghana, came to her when she moved to the region’s capital, Tamale, in 2015, and heard neighbours complain about how expensive and unreliable transport was.

Looking for ways to overcome this, Labi began buying secondhand push bikes during the pandemic in 2020 and converting them into e-bikes by adding kits she bought from Amazon.

Four years later, the company has now designed and developed its own licensed ebike and technology platform for delivery riders and opened an assembly plant in Ghana’s capital, Accra.

In her interview with The Guardian, she said she enjoys a challenge. “If I see a problem and I think it can be solved, I follow that thread.”

Her journey into the sector is both interesting and inspiring. She regularly shares insights into the e-mobility sector through Wahu Mobility Ltd and beyond.

Click on her profile and follow her to learn more about her journey, Wahu Mobility, and developments in the wider e-mobility space.