Proparco, a French development finance institution, has announced a fresh investment in BasiGo, the Nairobi-based e-mobility company, which is driving the adoption of electric buses in Kenya and Rwanda.
BasiGo, founded in 2021, has rapidly become one of Africa’s most influential EV mobility players. The company has deployed more than 100 electric buses across its two core markets, Kenya and Rwanda, and has carried over 9 million passengers while clocking more than 1.5 million clean kilometres.
Its model includes local assembly of electric buses, development of charging depots and a “pay-as-you-drive” financing solution that makes EV adoption affordable for public transport operators.
Jean Guyonnet-Dupérat, regional director for East Africa at Proparco, described the investment as a vote of confidence in BasiGo’s wider African expansion.
“By supporting BasiGo, we are helping to unlock a new generation of clean, reliable mass public transport solutions for tens of thousands of passengers in Kenya and Rwanda, and to scale this solution in other African cities,” he said.
Guyonnet-Dupérat added that the investment aligns with the institution’s Choose Africa mandate and the Paris Agreement, noting that BasiGo’s buses “cut emissions, improve air quality, and support quality jobs.”
BasiGo's impact continues to rise as African cities grapple with congestion, emissions and rising fuel costs. Each diesel bus replaced by a BasiGo EV eliminates more than 50 tonnes of CO₂ annually, amounting to over 3 000 tonnes avoided to date. The company also works with 29 Saccos, offering operators up to 40% lower annual operating costs compared to diesel buses.
In addition to Kenya and Rwanda, BasiGo has signalled ambitions to expand into neighbouring East African markets, including Uganda and Tanzania, where electric mobility interest is growing rapidly. Its local assembly lines in Nairobi are designed to grow, with the company targeting 1 000 electric buses on African roads in the near future.
Jit Bhattacharya, BasiGo CEO and co-founder said Proparco’s investment is a powerful endorsement of the future the EV company is building for African cities.
“Electric buses deliver stronger economics for operators, avoid CO₂ emissions, and offer passengers a more comfortable ride. This partnership accelerates our next chapter of scaling local assembly, expanding our charging network and advancing our Road to 1000 electric buses,” he said
Bhattacharya stressed that with fuel volatility and climate pressures rising, BasiGo’s model has become a blueprint for how African transport systems can modernise at scale, cleaner, cheaper and engineered for the realities of fast-growing urban populations.
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