Name: E-cargo bikes drive health and sustainability in Uganda
Uploaded: 2025-12-02T14:19:17.864Z
Duration: 5 min 16 s
Description: Uganda’s e-cargo bikes, backed by a national e-mobility plan, are powering healthcare, creating jobs, and cutting pollution.

Uganda’s e-cargo bikes, backed by a national e-mobility plan, are powering healthcare, creating jobs, and cutting pollution.

Kampala

Electric cargo bikes are being used in Uganda to improve access to healthcare and support local businesses. Nurses like Musamba Aisha can now reach more children for vaccinations, overcoming distance barriers and reducing physical strain, thanks to e-bikes donated through a government program. 

The initiative, supported by local and international partners, also benefits entrepreneurs such as juice vendor Adam Chigenyi, who has expanded his business using a customized e-bike. While challenges remain, including the cost and availability of spare parts, the Ugandan government aims to increase domestic production, and the positive impact on health, business, and the environment is already evident.

E-cargo bikes drive health and sustainability in Uganda

This nurse in Kasolwe, a village in eastern Uganda, is getting ready for today's mission. Saving lives with jabs. Musamba Aisha has been working as a village nurse since 2002. Today, she's heading out with her new electric bike to vaccinate children. Her new ride gets her where she's needed quickly. The bike saves children's lives because parents often don't immunize their children because of the distance involved. With this bike, we can come straight to their homes. Before Aisha and her medical team got their electric bike, they used to travel from village to village on a regular bike to provide basic health services. The medical team's e-bike was a donation as a part of a government program designed to boost immunization rates. And now, Aisha can reach even more people every day. It takes me about a day to work with 30 to 40 children. The bike has helped me physically because I don't use as much energy riding up hills. It's the same whether the surface is sloping or flat. And I also use it privately for short journeys, which helps me save money on transport. Aisha's bike is designed for African roads. That means big tires, a sturdy frame and rack, and of course, a long-lasting battery. A reliable electricity supply is still problematic in rural areas, so the ability to charge with solar power is a huge advantage. The bikes have come to Uganda via the African bicycle NGO Fabio, which has partnered with AfriCruise from Germany, and they are manufactured in India. While Aisha was given the bike for the health campaign, they are usually leased, rented or bought. Juice vendor Adam Chigenyi in Jinja took the plunge and has customized his for mobile sales. The increased range lets him reach more customers. And it's paying off. I had a bike before with three tires, and my service used to delay a little bit because it was a manual bike. And now, since I've got this beast, it takes me just only within 20 minutes to 30, my juice is almost done. And the clients are really happy about this innovation that I've done a little bit, and it has really changed my life. The project partners have built a solar service hub in Jinja for repairs and battery swaps. More service stations like this are planned in rural areas too, because such high-tech bikes are only useful if they can be properly maintained. Voluntary nurse Gerald Nyende works with Aisha some 85 kilometers north of Jinja. As he prepares to deliver fresh water for homes, he highlights the challenges of using e-bikes in such rural areas. The bike makes our work easier, but the spare parts are expensive. We have to travel a long way to get hold of them, 24 kilometers to Kamundi town, sometimes up to Jinja city. A single tire costs about 12 euros, and depending on the distance we are traveling, we need two batteries and a high-voltage solar panel for charging. The e-bike rollout has the support of the Ugandan government, but it hopes to produce more domestically. When it comes to local manufacturing, we have a target of 65% localization of all the products that we shall be doing. And right now, in our current state, we are about 35%. Challenges remain, but the impact of the e-bikes is already visible. Business owners like Adam and health workers like Aisha, they are more than just a vehicle. They are tools for change. As the wheels keep turning, the bikes bring services where they are needed, help reduce emissions and open new paths to clean mobility. Filming this e-mobility story has brought me up close with a number of green promoters in this community. And one of them is a lady called Aisha. She's able to accelerate and reach out to many people, serve many people, without impacting negatively on the environment. A gentleman locally is known here as a juice man. Adam Chigenyi, with his interesting customized e-bike, it looks a bit bulky, but he shares the lanes with other road users without any interruption. I believe this is the way to go. This is the way to go in the green future, the green climate. This is the way to go in Jinja.

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