(Ecofin Agency) - Indian electric motorbike maker Spiro is entering the Cameroonian market. The company wants to promote electric mobility and support local industrial development, according to a May 10 announcement by CEO Kaushik Burman.

Spiro’s plan aligns with Cameroon’s goal of developing a local automotive industry. Under the 2025 finance law, electric vehicles are now exempt from the 12.5% excise tax. In addition, new electric motorbikes, batteries, and charging stations will benefit from a 50% reduction on their taxable value for a 24-month period.

The project will begin in July 2025 with the deployment of 100 electric motorbikes in Douala. Spiro will also set up a network of battery swap stations, with one station every 3 kilometers. The goal is to ease concerns about battery range and reduce operating costs. According to Rahul Gaur, Spiro’s General Manager for West Africa and Cameroon, “users will spend only CFA1,500 to cover 100 kilometers, which is cheaper than fuel-powered bikes.”

In Phase 2, Spiro plans to build a motorbike assembly plant in Cameroon. This facility will help meet user demand and ensure a smooth rollout of services.

The project is expected to create hundreds of direct and indirect jobs. On average, each battery swap station will employ about 3.5 people. Additional jobs will be created at the assembly plant and at future maintenance centers, where local engineers and technicians will be hired to encourage technology transfer.

Spiro’s expansion into Cameroon is part of a broader strategy backed by a CFA29.1 billion loan from Afreximbank, based on an agreement signed on May 17, 2024. The funding will support the development of an automated battery swap network and the rollout of new electric bike models, aimed at making clean mobility more affordable and practical.

The company is already active in Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda. With its entry into Cameroon, Spiro is expanding its presence in the CEMAC zone. Founded in 2019, the company reports more than 3 million electric bikes in operation across Africa, with a total of over 341 million kilometers covered.

Cameroon is also seeing local efforts in this space. The start-up Bee plans to invest CFA610 million to introduce Tembo electric motorbikes.