Self-taught innovator James Samba (left) drives an eco-friendly electric vehicle he made from scrap metal in Freetown on December 18, 2024. (Photo by Saidu Bah / AFP)
By AFP - Agence France Presse
Sierra Leonean student fights toxic air pollution.
Freetown (AFP) - In his small workshop in Freetown, engineering student James Samba works on batteries and electrical parts that he hopes will help clean up Sierra Leone's polluting public transport system.
Rush hour in the West African country's main cities is a frenetic mix of minibusses, mopeds, shared cabs, and three-wheeled vehicles known as “kekehs” - each spewing toxic emissions into the atmosphere.
Samba said that his uncle died of a respiratory illness after years of inhaling exhaust fumes on the roads, which spurred the 23-year-old to develop his electric kekeh model.
Assembled from recycled scrap metal and powered by batteries, the four-wheeled pink vehicle now cruises the streets of the capital.
Although the project is still in its infancy, Samba aims to offer an ecological alternative to traditional fuel-powered models.
“I wanted to prevent other people from dying of lung and respiratory diseases due to air pollution... by making a prototype electric vehicle,” said Samba.
Worldwide, an estimated 4.2 million premature deaths a year are attributed to outdoor air pollution, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), with low- and middle-income countries being the worst affected.
Vehicle emissions are also a major contributor to climate change.
As in much of West Africa, long traffic jams in Sierra Leone's main cities and poorly maintained vehicles with inefficient exhausts exacerbate the emissions problem.
The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) says that in 2021, fine particulate air pollution killed 1,200 people in Sierra Leone, a country of 8.5 million inhabitants.
'Good for business and the environment'
Samba first ventured into engineering when he built an electric wheelchair for his uncle, who had long had difficulty accessing public transport.
Assembled from recycled scrap metal and powered by batteries, the pink vehicle now cruises the streets of the capital © Saidu BAH / AFP.
Since then, he has set up his own company, Sierra Electric, to manufacture a fleet of solar-powered kekehs and electric vehicles for the disabled.
Without the immediate means to cover production costs, Samba partnered with start-up NEEV Salone to develop a kekeh powered by a solar panel on the roof.
The Freetown-based company already has a fleet of more than 100 solar tricycles, three charging stations, and battery-changing cabinets for customers, according to co-founder and operations director Emmanuella Sandy.
“Our e-kekeh products are thriving. We swap batteries to reduce waiting times for commercial passengers and train 60 university students from the mechanical engineering department in the assembly and maintenance of electric vehicles,” she said.
The development of electric vehicles faces several obstacles in Sierra Leone, where the national grid suffers from chronic underperformance and frequent outages, and a six-month rainy season hampers the operation of solar panels.
Just over 20% of households have access to electricity via the national grid or mini-grids, according to a 2024 World Bank report.
Workers from start-up NEEV Salone assemble solar-powered tricycles in Freetown © Saidu BAH / AFP.
NEEV Salone alternates between solar power, off-grid generators, and the national grid to keep its charging points supplied.
Samba says that solar kekehs are cheaper to operate than fuel-powered alternatives, as drivers face lower maintenance costs and no fuel bills.
The smallest of NEEV Salone's solar kekehs sells for 120,000 new leones (around US$5,270), a high price for those living in one of the world's poorest countries.
Despite the cost, some drivers have already converted to renewable energy in the face of rising fuel prices.
“The solar tricycle is a comfortable and profitable business. I no longer worry about fuel shortages in the country,” said driver Thomas Kanu, 25.
“The solar kekeh is good for business and for our environment.”
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