Gajibo dropped out of university in his third year to run it. His first project was converting the internal-combustion engines of commonly used vehicles in the city to electric versions. He focused on two types of vehicles that residents often pay to ride: seven-seat minibuses and the motorized tricycles known as kekes.

FATI ABUBAKAR

He faced skepticism at first: limited power charging infrastructure has constrained the adoption of electric vehicles in the region. “Many people don’t believe that electric mobility is possible and commercially viable in the city of Maiduguri,” Gajibo says. But his electrification scheme has been gaining traction. The company now maintains a fleet of a dozen electric minibuses that can cover a distance of 150 kilometers on a charge and cost about $1.50 to power to full capacity. 

Building the necessary infrastructure is crucial to the success of the project. Gajibo and his cofounder Sadiq Abubakar Issa designed a 60-kilowatt-hour solar-powered charging station in the city and are looking at creating more.

Now, Gajibo has moved on from retrofitting internal-combustion vehicles to building electric vehicles from scratch.