Investment Holdings Backs Electric Mobility with Battery Swap Stations


Investment Holdings Backs Electric Mobility with Battery Swap Stations

Ethiopian Investment Holdings has made its second joint venture with an electric mobility startup company to avail 100 battery swap stations in Addis Abeba within a year and expand to 300 stations over the next three years. The company, Dodai, plans to offer e-motor riders to quickly exchange depleted batteries for fully charged ones, lowering downtime and is expected to create 100,000 jobs for the youth. Brook Taye (PhD), CEO of EIH and Yuma Sasaki, founder and CEO of Dodai signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) last week, at Hyatt Regency, Africa Avenue (Bole Road). According to Yuma, the focus is on building a battery swap network for electric motorbikes, intending to expand to include electric buses in the future. As the sovereign wealth fund and the government's investment arm, Brook noted the strategic alignment of the initiative with EIH’s plan to diversify into investments in alternative energy sources and scalable ventures, positioning portfolios like Ethiopian Electric Utility (EEU) for sustainable financial returns. “We’re committed to investing in initiatives that create jobs and contribute to a green economy,” he said. With about 33 state-owned enterprises under its wing, Brook said EIH works on portfolio optimisation, identifying gaps in the service delivery, and investment potential. He mentioned the 49pc joint venture with Toppan Gravity that aims to avail passport printing locally.


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Parliament Reviews Bill Allowing Foreign Property Ownership

A draft proclamation that would allow foreigners to own or occupy immovable property in Ethiopia has been submitted to parliament by the Council of Ministers. Designed to attract foreign investment, the draft law plans to ensure that Ethiopian citizens retain their right to land ownership and use. According to a statement from the Prime Minister's Office, the draft was among six agenda items discussed and approved during the Council's regular session held on May 2, 2025. The proclamation is e...


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Speeding in the Spotlight as New Safety Drive Begins

The Road Safety and Insurance Fund Service has stated that drivers are responsible for 68 percent of traffic accidents in Ethiopia, with the remainder mainly caused by pedestrians and road conditions. On this topic, the service launched a one-month mass media campaign on last week focused on raising awareness about speeding, the leading cause of traffic accidents. The campaign, under the motto "Slow Down, Speeding Ruins Lives," plans to shed light on the dangers of speeding. Yohannes Lemma, E...


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Askari Metals Secures Five Gold Licenses in Untapped Adola Belt

Askari Metals has acquired 100pc of Rift Valley Metals, gaining five gold exploration licences covering 460sqkm in Ethiopia's Adola Greenstone Belt, part of the southern Arabian-Nubian Shield, a mineral-rich but underexplored region. "The exploration areas—Sakaro, Sakaro West, Lega Dembi South, Megado, and Wayu Boda—lie near Ethiopia's top gold mines, including Lega Dembi and Sakaro, which have produced over three million ounces of gold. The area is known for orogenic gold systems hosted...