Mustapha Abubakar Gajibo, a 31-year-old entrepreneur, designs and manufactures solar-powered electric vehicles in Abuja. 

Before now, Gajibo converted petrol-powered minibuses into solar-powered electric vehicles, in his workshop of Borno state. 

His intent had been to address two pressing issues in the world: the high cost of transportation and environmental concerns. “Going forward, I ventured into electric vehicles because of the problems the whole world was facing such as high cost of petroleum products, high cost of transportation as a result of the cost in fuel. And another alarming issue was the issue of global warming, largely contributed by emission from petrol powered vehicles which is hazardous to the environment.” he explained. 

In order to pursue this dream, he dropped out of university and established the company, Phoenix Renewable Energy. In 2017, he began building electric vehicles, but encountered numerous challenges along the way, from sourcing materials to funding.

Gajibo hopes to spread his electric buses across the country and potentially beyond. According to him, people from Ghana, Uganda, Kenya, Senegal, and Guinea Bissau have expressed interest in his project. “We have built electric buses  which have a sitting capacity of 12 passengers and can cover a distance of 200km per charge. And it is fully air-conditioned with the latest technology including a voice command system. These vehicles were fully designed and built in Nigeria. Also, 60-70% of materials used for production were locally sourced.” He said to LeadershipNG.

Gajibo has brought Borno state and Nigeria into a new light through his invention. Despite the challenges following a new invention, he’s surrounded himself with a team of people who share his dreams.

Additional Sources: Leadership.ng