Akil Amiraly (i3-CRG) and Mansoureh Hasannia Kolaee (Laval University), as well as their co-authors Peter Kasaija (Makerere University) and Nathalie Prime (ESCP) have been awarded the first place in the Global case writing competition 2023 of the William Davidson Institute (Michigan University) for their case study « Electric Moto Taxis Innovation in Low-Income Countries: A Rider’s Perspective in Kampala ».
This case focuses on the socio-economical viability of the activity of electric moto-taxis drivers in Kampala (Ouganda).
Abstract:
Sammy Kalunji, 36, a low-income self-employed motorcycle taxi microentrepreneur in Kampala, Uganda, decided to buy an electric motorcycle with a rechargeable battery. He is one of about 250 such pioneers in low-emission transportation in this major (and air-polluted) city in west-central Africa at the end of 2022. However, operating in a volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) environment, he does not receive enough income to fully provide for his family. This is true, despite the fact that his electric motorcycle (known as an E-boda) has substantially lower operating costs than his former petroleum-powered one (known as a P-boda).
This case elaborates on four financial, operational, commercial, and social organization models and alternatives Kalunji must navigate so that he and his fellow E-boda riders can harness economic opportunities emerging from this new low-carbon urban transportation solution, and be recognized as making an essential contribution to the transition to green urban mobility in Kampala.
Ultimately, the case takes the perspective of low-income groups adopting low-carbon mobility innovations while working in generalized informal market conditions. It reflects and critiques the global Northern concept of social and environmental “sustainable innovation” as it is exported to low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) with the risk of making such innovations unsustainable by themselves.
The chair Energy and Prosperity funded the the field survey in Kampala (2021-22) as well as Mansoureh Hasannia Kolaee’s internship in i3-CRG under the direction of Akil Amiraly (2022-2023).
