Freetown, Sierra Leone

Monday 07 April 2025

From his small workshop in Freetown, James Samba works on the prototype of an electric vehicle made entirely from recycled materials.

At rush hour, the streets of Sierra Leone’s capital offer the spectacle of a crush of minibuses, motorcycles, shared cabs and motorized tricycles known as “kekes”, all of which contribute to air pollution.

After the death of his uncle, whom he says succumbed to a respiratory illness caused by inhaling toxic vehicle fumes, the 23-year-old student came up with the idea of developing an electrically-powered keke.

“I wanted to prevent other people from dying from respiratory illnesses caused by air pollution,” explains James Samba.

Made entirely from recycled materials, his pink electric vehicle, which resembles a small golf cart, now ply the streets of Freetown.

The initiative, although isolated, aims to offer an environmentally-friendly alternative to fuel-powered vehicles.

Every year, 4.2 million people die prematurely due to air pollution, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

As in many West African countries, Freetown’s traffic jams and poorly maintained vehicle fleet exacerbate pollution problems.

The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) estimates that 1,200 people will have died from air pollution in the country by 2021.

– Solar energy –

The young inventor had already built an electric wheelchair for his uncle, who had no access to public transport.

Thanks to his initiative, James Samba collaborated with start-up NEEV Salone, which assembles and markets electric tricycles.

It was the student who came up with the idea of adding a solar panel to the roof of the company’s small vehicles.

“We have a fleet of 100 tricycles, three recharging stations and battery exchange points for our customers,” explains Emmanuella Sandy, co-founder and head of operations at NEEV Salone.

“Our e-kekes are booming, we’re doing battery swaps to reduce driver wait times, and we’ve trained 60 students from the university’s mechanical engineering department to assemble and maintain electric vehicles,” she adds.

The development of electric vehicles faces a number of obstacles in Sierra Leone, where the power grid is under-performing, suffers frequent load shedding and the rainy season lasts 6 months, limiting the operation of solar power.

Just over 20% of households have access to electricity, according to a 2024 World Bank report.
To supply its charging points with electricity, NEEV Salone uses solar power, generators and the national grid.
As James Samba asserts, solar kekes are more profitable for drivers: low maintenance costs, savings on fuel.
But it costs around $5,000 to buy one of NEEV Salone’s models, a fortune in one of the world’s poorest countries.
This cost has not deterred some drivers from investing, like Thomas Kanu: “The solar-powered tricycle is comfortable and a profitable business, so I don’t have to worry about fuel shortages anymore,” says the 25-year-old driver.

Humaniterre with AFP