• BasiGo secures first African certification for electric bus project

• Carbon credits to be issued from verified emissions reductions

• Firm targets 1,000 buses by 2027 amid regional expansion

East Africa’s shift toward cleaner urban transport has reached a new milestone. Kenyan electric mobility startup BasiGo said on Monday it had secured Gold Standard certification for its electric bus project, becoming the first initiative of its kind in Africa to receive the recognition, according to a statement on LinkedIn.

The certification validates emissions reductions from the company’s fleet. An initial batch of carbon credits from the project is expected to be sold to Climate Impact Partners.

BasiGo said the certified voluntary emissions reductions represent emissions avoided by replacing diesel buses with electric vehicles.

“Our electric bus project generates emissions reductions that are transparent, traceable, and verifiable by design, backed by on-board telematics that record every kilometer and kilowatt-hour in real time, making our reductions inherently high quality,” the company said, adding that Kenya’s largely renewable power mix amplifies the climate benefits of transport electrification.

The announcement comes as the company expands in Kenya and across the region, targeting 1,000 electric buses in service by 2027. In November 2025, BasiGo commissioned three new charging depots in Nairobi, bringing capacity to 100 buses per day.

The first African carbon credits eligible under the CORSIA mechanism were certified in Malawi in 2025. It remains unclear whether BasiGo can turn avoided emissions into a sustainable source of financing.

Abdoullah Diop