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- When a state-owned firm is leading the EV charging race
When a state-owned firm is leading the EV charging race
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 | Sonelgaz, the Algerian state-owned electricity and gas distribution company, has completed the installation of 31 EV charging stations in 23 locations. The stations were installed at diverse locations such as office buildings, public hospitals (seven of them), universities, fuel service stations and municipal parking lots. Sonelgaz also exports charging stations. |
Sonelgaz plans to install 1,000 public charging stations in Algeria. The diversity of the high-traffic locations where the company is building charging points targets maximum exposure to potential users.
The firm’s industrial arm, SAIEG, started making charging stations locally as well as exporting them. Vertical integration gives Sonelgaz an advantage in cross-border competition.
Our take: More local EV assembly could grow demand and justify infrastructure investments… Read more (2 min)
 | All five African mobility startups that raised money in June did equity deals. No debt. Three of the startups raised significant sums through generic venture rounds, one raised a pre-seed round, while another got Series A financing, according to our analysis of data from The Big Deal Africa. The total funding for 2025 is now $110.9 million. |
This is a second month in a row during which only equity funding was raised in the sector. In May, startups in the mobility sector raised $26.5 million, all of which was also equity funding.
The diversity of funding types in the mobility sector has declined in recent months. Debt and grants, which were prevalent at the beginning of the year, have dried up since April.
Our take: Equity funding is critical for Africa’s early-stage electric mobility startups that are scaling fast and need strategic partners… Read more (2 min)
 | Kenya’s internal combustion engine vehicle assemblers can transition to electric vehicle production quite easily and quickly, according to seasoned automotive commentator Gavin Bennet. Local companies’ small-ish scale, limited automation, and a history of flexibility make them well-suited. He also notes that shifting to the EV market is a necessity. |
Without the need for fuel engine parts such as exhausts, EV plants will benefit from fewer moving parts and more streamlined processes. However, entirely new workflows will still be necessary.
A major challenge is handling the heavy battery packs and modifying the build sequence to fit them early in production. New joining methods will also be needed to work with lighter EV materials.
Naspers Global Sustainability Business Partner Ronell Govender (right) explores Takealot’s EV truck fleet in South Africa.
Events
🗓️ Register for AIDC EV Summit in South Africa (July 17)
🗓️ Prepare for the second Africa Climate Summit in Ethiopia (Sept 5)
🗓️ Attend Africa E-mobility Week in Ethiopia (Oct 14)
Jobs
💼 Apply for a Business Development Executive role at MojaEV (Kenya)
💰 Become a Financial Consultant at Proxy E-Mobility (Senegal)
👨🏻💼 Join Spiro as a SAP ABAP Team Lead (Kenya)
Various
🔌 BP South Africa to build 40 new service stations with EV chargers
🔋 Spiro surpasses 100 battery swapping stations in Uganda
📜 Read how insurance companies are adjusting to EV adoption
Seen on LinkedIn
Nathan Fredricks, IDC’s Programme Director of New Energy Vehicles, says, “E-commerce, retail and service companies can take the lead and be firstmovers for scaling electric mobility and local businesses job creation and the development of new industries.”