In addition, a ride hailing service with some 150 vehicles is scheduled to start during the course of the year. These figures are derived from expected market acceptance of these innovative mobility services that are completely new to Rwanda. Further services of this kind are planned for the coming months.

The vehicle fleet required for the planned mobility solutions is to be taken entirely from local production. For this purpose, an environmentally-compatible local vehicle assembly facility is to be established in the capital Kigali. Volkswagen and CFAO, a long-standing partner in Africa for the distribution and assembly of vehicles, signed a letter of intent to this effect.

Production will start with several hundred vehicles in mid-2018, and capacity will gradually be expanded to up to 5,000 vehicles per year. It is planned to initially build the Volkswagen Polo and Passat models.

Furthermore, a local start-up is developing the programming for the mobility app. Overall, Volkswagen and its partner companies will create up to 1,000 jobs in Rwanda. The financial engagement amounts to approx. US$20 million (approx. €16 million).

With the integrated mobility concept, Volkswagen intends to provide a new impetus for the development of individual mobility. Rwanda does not currently have an established vehicle industry. The population has an average age of less than 20 years and Rwandans are among the early adopters of new technologies.

In addition to Rwanda, the Volkswagen brand is also active at three other locations in the Sub-Sahara region: the company has been manufacturing vehicles in South Africa since 1951. Vehicle assembly began in Nigeria in 2015, and in Kenya in December 2016.