Traffic in Kigali's city centre. The UN labels air pollution in African cities as an 'invisible danger'. Photos: David Renke/dpa
Business people in particular like catching a ride on Albert Nzigirimania's motorcycle.
"They like the smooth ride and that there's no jerking from changing gears," he explains.Nzigirimania, in his mid-40s, is one of roughly 30,000 motorbike taxi drivers in Rwanda's capital Kigali. A little more than a year ago, he decided to switch to electric.
The motos, as the motorcycles are called here, are a popular alternative to expensive taxis and overcrowded buses in busy Kigali, a well-established part of public transport like almost everywhere in sub-Saharan Africa.
But Nzigirimana and his ebike stick out, thanks to the bright yellow battery installed underneath where the fuel tank would be in a petrol-powered motorcycle, behind the front wheel.
So far, Nzigirimana is only one of a few moto drivers who have switched to electric drive, but with the rapid increase in fuel prices, ebikes have become a profitable alternative to petrol engines, he says.
Nzigirimana on his electric 'moto'. "If you ride a moto for years, the exhaust fumes strain your lungs," says Nzigirimana, adding that he, like many other moto drivers, is suffering from respiratory issues.
According to British researchers, more and more riders are suffering from respiratory diseases or skin and eye irritations as a result of the toxic exhaust fumes they are exposed to every day.
Poor air quality has long been a major problem in Africa's cities, dubbed an "invisible danger" by the United Nations.
By 2063, the number of premature deaths related to air pollution on the continent could rise to 1.6 million per year, according to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).
Outside of Asia, nowhere are cities growing as fast as in Africa, the continent with the highest population growth worldwide.
According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), almost an additional one billion people will have moved to the cities in Africa by 2050, cities that are already bogged down by cars clogging up the roads.
Motorists in Kigali's city centre. "Transport is one of the main reasons for the high levels of air pollution in African cities," he says.
On the continent as a whole, indoor air pollution still poses the biggest health threat as many people, especially in rural areas, still cook over open fires. But scientists say the death toll from indoor air pollution is declining as more and more households are switching to gas cookers.
At the same time, however, air pollution caused by traffic emissions is steadily increasing, with the motos a contributing factor to the threat in cities.
"An average motorbike produces an estimated 10 times more pollution per kilometre than a car, a small truck or an SUV," Anyang Nyong'o said.
Josh Whale, chief executive of Rwandan emotorcycle manufacturer Ampersand, agrees with the estimate: "Many of the motorbikes in Africa are not built to European emission standards, most of them not even to Indian standards, where many of the motorbikes used in Africa are built," he says.
A lot of the African bikes, he adds, run on tech from the 1970s.
An electric charging station for motos in Kigali.
Meanwhile, the number of moto taxis on the continent's roads is projected to grow over the coming years as they are not only a cheap means of transport but often the only way to dodge traffic.
Experts forecast the number of moto taxis in Nairobi to around five million by 2030, more than triple the current number, with a similar trend expected for Kigali.
Looking to both improve air quality and lower greenhouse gas emissions, Rwanda is planning to convert around a third of all motos into ebikes by 2030, according to the UN development programme.
"Unfortunately, the public transport system in Africa is still not very advanced, so most people who can afford it inevitably opt for their own car."
Issues like theft or sexual harassment cause many people to avoid taking the bus, she explains, while railway services are virtually non-existent in most African cities.
Buses often don't stick to a schedule, but Mungo is convinced that an extensive and well-running public transport network would be the most climate-friendly solution to Africa's congested roads.
After setting up a bus rapid transit system, Dar es Salaam, the largest city in Tanzania, now has one of the best public transport networks in sub-Saharan Africa, with the buses operating on their own lane and therefore able to reliably dodge traffic.
While this approach has become a role model for many African cities, expanding Dar el Salaam's public transport system came with a price, costing the city some US$350mil (RM1.6bil). – dpa
