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We’ve been ranking African mobility companies and countries

May 29, 2025

From the newsletter

South Africa is leading the electric mobility sector on the continent, according to the Mobility Rising country listing. We rank nations based on ten key parameters, namely the number and cumulative size of factories, number and impact of policies, funding deals, size and type, number of events, number of jobs advertised, and number of top ten companies in the sector. 

  • US-based EV maker Tesla tops the Mobility Rising company list. The ranking tracks eight key parameters, including the total number of staff in Africa, number of sales staff, country locations, increase in staff and sales staff, experience and tenure of staff, and the number of masters degrees.

  • The rankings are based on external and proprietary sources, including Mobility Rising staff based in locations across the continent, as well as public sources such as LinkedIn. It is updated monthly. 

More details

  • In our country ranking, South Africa excelled due to the high volume of jobs it posted during the period – 29 – more than any other country. It also performed well on pro-EV policies announced and the funding that its electric mobility startups received from investors. 

  • Like South Africa, Kenya performed well, posting 27 jobs, and also announced two major policies that will have a positive impact on the adoption of EVs. Uganda emerged third, mainly driven by the $3 million equity funding raised by Gogo Electric. 

  • Funding was also key to Ghana’s emergence as the fourth-ranked electric mobility country in Africa. During the month, Ghana-based battery swapping station startup Kofa raised $8.2 million in a mix of equity, debt and grant financing. 

  • In our company ranking, Tesla emerged top, mainly due to the high volume of workers it has recruited in Africa, especially over the last one year. Analysis of LinkedIn data shows the company has 1,298 senior workers in Africa, more than a third of the workforce of the continent’s top mobility firms.

  • Spiro, a leading electric motorcycle company, ranked second. This is mainly due to the high number of countries the company has entered (eight) as well as the number of senior employees listed on LinkedIn (358).

  • China’s BYD, which is rapidly expanding across Africa, emerged third, as it accelerates hiring in key markets. Ampersand, an electric motorcycle company, ranked fourth, while Nigerian EV financing startup Max closed the top five. See the full list below: 

Country Ranking

  1. South Africa      

  2. Kenya 

  3. Uganda 

  4. Ghana 

  5. Rwanda 

  6. Nigeria 

  7. Ethiopia 

  8. Morocco 

  9. Cameroon 

  10. Egypt 

Company Ranking

  1. Tesla 

  2. Spiro 

  3. BYD 

  4. Ampersand 

  5. Max 

  6. BasiGo 

  7. Kiira Motors 

  8. Roam Electric 

  9. Shift EV 

  10. Gogo Electric 

Our take:

  • South Africa and Kenya top our country ranking due to the number of jobs they are creating in the sector. It shows that African governments and educational institutions should proactively invest in training and skilling programs to equip the local workforce with the necessary expertise in EVs.

  • The entry of global EV firms such as Tesla and BYD will have a major knock-on effect across Africa’s electric mobility sector. They are not only creating thousands of new jobs but are also helping the local industry grow its technical capacity. 

  • To accelerate the growth of the electric mobility sector, African countries may prioritise funding and support for local EV startups, especially those addressing specific regional needs like robust electric motorcycles and battery swapping.