We’re in Maiduguri in Nigeria’s remote north-east,
to travel on a revolutionary solar-powered bus service
that could be a model solution for cities across the world.
We’ll meet Mustapha Gajibo,
whose vision has created a cutting-edge mobility solution
amid the troubles of a crisis region.
And we’ll hear from people about the surprise benefits
the new bus service offers them as passengers.
Mustapha’s team refits gasoline minibuses with electric motors and battery packs.
Charging takes about 35 minutes for a 150 kilometer range.
The energy source is Maiduguri’s plentiful sunshine,
captured by more than 150 solar panels.
They’ve so far converted 10 minibuses and more than 50 tricycles
that are in service on the roads of Maiduguri.
Small, flexible transport options such as minibuses
are crucial to life in many cities around the world.
But most still run on heavily-polluting gasoline or diesel.
Though Nigeria is one of the world’s biggest oil producers,
people in the country regularly suffer from shortages
and high prices at the pump.
A ride on these solar-powered buses is not only cheaper;
passengers have already picked up on other advantages.
Mustapha currently employs a diverse team of engineers, mechanics, technicians and drivers.
A welcome sign of recovery in a remote part of Nigeria
that was plagued for more than a decade by the Boko Haram terrorist group.
The insurgency may have severely set back the regional economy,
but Mustapha Gajibo is determined to realize his dream.
He dropped out of university to start an electric revolution
and named his company "Phoenix Renewables”
after the mythical bird that rises from the ashes.
Mustapha is already looking beyond adapting combustion vehicles
and throughout 2022, his team has been working on its own 12-seater
pure-electric bus that they have conceived and built from the ground up.
Earlier in 2022 he told us more about the project.
If it sounds like the 29-year-old is dreaming big, it’s because he is.
For example, to properly harness solar power, he wants to build a battery Gigafactory in Africa.
Mustapha Gajibo aims to develop clean mobility solutions
not only for Africa, but on a global scale.
For this young entrepreneur,
it looks like the journey is only just beginning.