Spiro, a company specializing in electric motorcycles and battery-swapping infrastructure, has identified the Democratic Republic of Congo among the African markets it could target in its next phase of expansion.

In an announcement published on June 1, 2026, alongside a $215 million fundraising round, the company said it plans to accelerate its growth across the continent, including in high-growth markets such as the DRC and Ethiopia. At this stage, however, the company has not confirmed a commercial launch in the DRC and has only identified the country as part of its growth strategy.

The expansion is expected to be supported by capital raised from several institutional investors. Impact Fund Denmark said it contributed about $40 million. Equitane, another investor participating in the transaction, did not disclose the size of its commitment.

According to Spiro, the funds will be used to expand its battery-swapping network, strengthen manufacturing capacity, accelerate technological development of its electric mobility solutions and support entry into new African markets.

The company currently operates in seven African countries: Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Nigeria, Cameroon, Benin and Togo. Its industrial footprint includes assembly facilities in Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda, as well as a battery recycling plant in Nigeria.

Spiro’s business model is based on removable batteries. Riders leave a depleted battery at a company-operated swapping station and receive a fully charged replacement, avoiding the waiting time associated with conventional charging.

The company also said it is developing battery-swapping stations integrated with solar energy solutions. This approach could be of interest in the DRC, where access to electricity remains limited in several regions and grid reliability continues to be a challenge. Its deployment would nonetheless depend on several factors, including the availability of reliable charging sites, battery costs, the organization of the station network and the adaptation of the business model to local usage patterns.

Potential in Kinshasa

Spiro’s interest in the DRC comes as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has already documented the potential for electric mobility in Kinshasa. In May 2024, the organization presented the results of a technical and economic feasibility study on the deployment of electric motorcycle taxis in the Congolese capital.

According to the study, Kinshasa already had more than 400,000 motorcycle taxis. The scenario considered most realistic estimated that about 100 renewable energy-powered charging stations would be needed to support a fleet of roughly 500,000 motorcycle taxis by 2050.

The UNDP estimated that such a transition would reduce emissions by an average of 700 kilotons of CO2 equivalent by 2050, while generating more than $1.2 billion in economic benefits and several thousand green jobs.

Early experience in the country also appears to support interest in the approach. In October 2025, the UNDP distributed electric motorcycles to 15 public institutions in Isiro, the capital of Haut-Uele province. Five months later, the organization said it was observing encouraging operational, economic and environmental results.

Among the beneficiaries cited was Alangine Bongo Paulin, mayor of the Mendambo commune. “We used to spend on average more than 300,000 Congolese francs per month on fuel. Today, with the electric motorcycle, charging costs range between 40,000 and 50,000 francs, nearly six times less,” he said in a communication published in April 2026.

Based on those figures, monthly energy-related spending would have declined by about 83% to 87% in that specific case. The estimate is limited to the example cited by the UNDP and cannot be generalized without broader data on usage patterns, maintenance costs, battery lifespan and real-world operating conditions.

Industrial links

One of Spiro’s investors, Equitane, also has particular relevance to the DRC because of its ties to entrepreneur Gagan Gupta. Spiro identifies Gupta as the company’s founder and chairman of Equitane. He is also the founder and chief executive of Arise, including Arise Integrated Industrial Platforms (Arise IIP), which specializes in developing special economic zones and industrial platforms across Africa.

Arise IIP is already involved in several projects in the DRC. The company is the developer of the Kin-Malebo Special Economic Zone through Congo Industrial Platforms, an entity owned 60% by Arise IIP and 40% by the Congolese state.

The group has also been cited among the partners associated with the future Musompo Special Economic Zone in Kolwezi. During the launch on March 26, 2025, of development work at the zone, which is intended to host activities related to battery precursors, batteries and potentially electric vehicle assembly, the provincial government of Lualaba presented Arise IIP as one of the project’s partners without providing further details on its exact role.

Arise also presented the results in 2023 of a pre-feasibility study on the development of an electric battery value chain in the DRC. At the time, Julien Paluku Kahongya, then minister of industry, said the studies estimated that about $30 billion in investment would be needed to develop the entire value chain.

According to the projections presented, the industry could generate more than $7 trillion in cumulative revenue between 2035 and 2040. These figures should nonetheless be viewed as long-term projections dependent on numerous factors, including the availability of financing, energy infrastructure, industrial competitiveness, access to international markets, the regulatory framework and the DRC’s ability to process a portion of its strategic minerals domestically.

In November 2025, during discussions with Mines Minister Louis Watum Kabamba on the sidelines of the Makutano forum, Arise IIP DRC Managing Director Romain Deniel said he regretted the slowdown of the project.

Any future entry by Spiro into the DRC would therefore take place within a broader context of interest in electric mobility, batteries and industrial platforms. At this stage, however, the company has not announced a timeline, local partner, pilot city or operating model for the Congolese market.

Timothée Manoke