Meet the CEO Powering Africa’s Largest Electric Mobility Revolution

How Kaushik Burman Raised $150 Million to Transform Africa’s Electric Mobility Revolution on the Continent

When you think of Africa’s most common form of transport, one image probably comes to mind, the motorcycle. From the bustling streets of Lagos to the winding roads of Kigali, bikes remain the fastest, cheapest, and most accessible way to move people and goods. But there’s a problem, they’re dirty. Very dirty.

A single petrol-powered motorbike emits ten times more hydrocarbons per kilometre than a car, choking Africa’s skies with pollution. As the world races toward clean, sustainable energy, Africa faces a huge challenge, and an even bigger opportunity. Enter Kaushik Burman, the visionary CEO behind Spiro, Africa’s largest electric mobility company. Backed by more than $150 million in funding, Spiro is on a mission to make electric bikes not just eco-friendly, but affordable, aspirational, and life-changing.

From Shell to Spiro: The Birth of a Clean Mobility Vision

Before leading Africa’s green transport revolution, Kaushik Burman’s journey took him across boardrooms and factory floors from Europe to Asia. With over two decades of experience in energy and mobility, his résumé reads like a global roadmap.

At Shell, Burman led initiatives to introduce cleaner fuels such as LNG and hydrogen. Later, he joined Gogoro, the Taiwanese e-mobility giant listed on NASDAQ, where he spearheaded the company’s expansion into India, Indonesia, and the Philippines, helping to decongest some of Asia’s most polluted cities. But Africa presented something different: raw potential. “When you see that your products are being used by consumers who can save money and improve their lives, that gives a lot of satisfaction,” Burman told Business Insider Africa. For him, Spiro was more than a company, it was a chance to change lives.

“At Spiro, we don’t build technology to impress,” he says. “We build technology that works, that lasts, that changes lives.”

Spiro isn’t just talking big, it’s delivering. Since launching in 2022, the company has exploded across the continent, operating in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Togo, Benin, and Nigeria.

Here’s what the impact looks like:

• Over 40,000 electric motorbikes on the road
• 800+ battery-swapping stations
• 20 million battery swaps completed
• More than 500 million kilometres of CO₂-free travel logged

And this green revolution is being powered by serious capital. Spiro has raised over $150 million through equity and debt financing, including a $50 million facility from Afreximbank and a $63 million investment from Société Générale. That money is fueling infrastructure, innovation, and accessibility, three pillars that are making Spiro’s electric bikes a real alternative to petrol engines.

Burman is candid about the biggest challenge: affordability. Africa’s economic reality means that even the most innovative technology must be priced within reach. “One of our biggest decisions,” he says, “was to make sure we built something affordable.” Spiro recently announced a retail price of ₦1.44 million (about $960) for its Ekon electric bikes in Nigeria, a number that’s turning heads.

For riders, that means up to 40% savings on fuel and maintenance costs compared to traditional petrol motorcycles. In economies where every naira, franc, or shilling matters, those savings aren’t just good, they’re life-changing.

Made in Africa, for Africa

But Spiro isn’t stopping at distribution. The company is going local, and that’s where its long-term vision shines. Currently, around 30% of Spiro’s components are sourced locally, up from just 10% last year. Batteries still come from China, but Burman is already laying the groundwork for deeper African integration.

“While we’ll still rely on external suppliers for critical parts, as we scale production in Africa, we’re also working to bring more suppliers to co-locate on the continent. That’s our end goal,” he explains.

Earlier this year, Spiro opened a new assembly plant in Kenya and is setting up another one in Ogun State, Nigeria, a strong signal of its intent to build a sustainable, Africa-first ecosystem. “We’re not just importing a product,” Burman says. “We’re building an ecosystem, training technicians, supporting local energy networks, and laying the groundwork for Africa’s e-mobility future.”

When asked what advice he has for Africa’s young founders venturing into climate tech, Burman’s response is refreshingly practical:

1. Observe. “Really study what your customers need. There’s a difference between a must-have and a nice-to-have.”
2. Test early. “Build a minimum viable product, get it out there, and learn.”
3. Start raising capital early. “Fundraising is a marathon, not a sprint. The sooner you start, the stronger you’ll finish.”

These aren’t just entrepreneurial clichés, they’re the principles that have guided Spiro’s rapid growth across one of the toughest markets in the world.

For decades, Africa has been described as the continent of potential. But companies like Spiro are proving that potential can be turned into power, literally. By combining smart engineering, local insight, and financial innovation, Kaushik Burman and his team are doing more than electrifying bikes, they’re redefining what’s possible in African mobility. And as the red dust rises behind a Spiro bike on a Nigerian highway or Rwandan hill road, it’s clear that the future of clean transport isn’t being written in Silicon Valley or Shanghai, it’s being built in Africa, by Africans, for Africans.

Spiro’s journey is a glimpse into what happens when technology meets purpose, and when global experience meets local opportunity. In a world obsessed with disruption, Kaushik Burman reminds us that true innovation isn’t about making headlines, it’s about making a difference.

And if his vision holds, the next great mobility revolution will hum quietly on two wheels — powered not by petrol, but by progress.

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