Through the financing of 115 electric-powered tricycles for the sole use of women transporters in the state, Sterling Alternative Finance, in collaboration with LINKS, Mata Zalla Women Cooperative, and Yar Baiwa Women Cooperative, has significantly improved intra-city transportation in the Kano metropolis.
This was declared at the recently held groundbreaking ceremony for Kano’s first-ever electric vehicle charging station.
With 115 participants, the partnership is a cooperative effort to promote gender empowerment, sustainable transportation, and environmental conservation in Kano State. Of these, 85 participants received training as commercial tricycle operators, and the remaining 30 participants received training as specialized mechanics for the maintenance of the vehicles.
The program will construct an electric vehicle charging station and provide finance for participating women to buy and run the tricycles, which will be fueled by electricity produced from renewable sources. It will be carried out in strict accordance with ethical banking principles.
Garba Mohammed, Group Head, Non-Interest Banking Sales at Sterling Alternative Finance, said the following during a speech at the event: “We are proud to be part of this groundbreaking project in Kano state, which aligns with our commitment to sustainable development. We believe that this project will not only promote clean transportation but also create economic opportunities for women operators and mechanics in the region.”
“We are grateful to LINKS, Mata Zalla Women Cooperative, and Yar Baiwa Women Cooperative for their partnership and support in making this project a reality.”
The Kano State Council of Ulamas, KAROTA, VIO, FRSC, and the Ministries of Women Affairs, Transport, and Environment all support the pilot initiative.
The project was hailed as a tremendous economic boon for women in the state by Hajiya Hauwa Ahmad Tarauni, chairlady of the Mata Zalla Women Cooperative. Speaking at the event, Hajiya Habiba Abubakar Imam, Chairlady of Yar Bawai Women Cooperative, predicted that the number of female tricycle riders in Kano will triple in the near future due to the amount of acceptance of the project by state authorities.
According to LINKS-FCDO’s deputy team leader, Umar Mohammed, LINKS is largely focused on empowering women and girls with the help of investments in the three northern states of Kaduna, Kano, and Jigawa. He asserts that Kano is the project’s pilot state and predicts that other Nigerian states would do the same in the near future.
The program, which is being spearheaded by the private sector and is valued at N200 million, would enable interested women who register with the cooperatives to purchase the electric vehicles with a 10% equity investment, with the remaining 90% being repaid over three years.
The tricycles, which will only be powered by rechargeable electric batteries, will significantly improve the environmental sustainability of the Kano metropolis by reducing gas emissions, waste from the use of fossil fuels for energy, and the need for lubricants for internal combustion engine maintenance.
