British International Investment (BII), the UK’s development finance institution and impact investor, has committed $5 million in debt financing to Dodai as part of the company’s $13 million Series A round, supporting the expansion of clean, affordable urban mobility in Ethiopia.
Dodai is an Ethiopia-based electric mobility company that assembles and deploys electric motorbikes and operates battery-swapping infrastructure.
Since launching three years ago, the company has deployed more than 2,000 electric motorbikes, built a team of approximately 100 employees, the majority of whom are Ethiopian, and is helping to support the country’s transition away from fossil-fuelled transport.
The latest funding will support Dodai to scale critical e-mobility and battery-swapping infrastructure in Addis Ababa, broadening access to affordable transport while enabling job creation and entrepreneurship.
Over the next 12 months, the company aims to reach 3,000 battery-swapping users, supported by 30 stations across Addis Ababa. Within three years, Dodai plans to scale to 30,000 users and 1,000 battery swapping stations in the city, before expanding into Abidjan, Kinshasa, Accra and Dar es Salaam, bringing its model to other fast-growing urban cities across Africa.
Darren Welch, the Ambassador of the United Kingdom to Ethiopia, said, “I am delighted that the UK – through British International Investment – is supporting the acceleration of the rollout of electric motorbikes and battery swapping infrastructure here in Ethiopia. This is an example of the UK’s development partnership with Ethiopia in action, supporting the creation of well-paying jobs, expanding access to affordable transportation, and helping to unleash the huge potential here in Ethiopia. As the world looks forward to COP32 being hosted in Ethiopia, the UK is delighted to be supporting Ethiopia’s climate leadership, including through supporting the expansion of clean, affordable transport both here in Addis Ababa and across the continent.
Leslie Maasdorp, CEO, BII, said, “Ethiopia is emerging as one of Africa’s most compelling frontier markets for the clean mobility transition, where the right capital can unlock outsized impact and long-term value. BII’s investment will support Dodai to scale critical e-mobility and battery-swapping infrastructure and accelerate the development of a commercial market for electric motorbikes. By expanding access to affordable transport, Dodai is empowering entrepreneurs, creating jobs, and helping build a stronger, more competitive urban economy in Ethiopia.”
Hilina Legesse, SVP and Head of Corporate, Dodai Group. Inc, said “This investment reflects growing confidence from international investors in our team’s ability to turn real-world challenges into opportunities to solve. In just two years, we have deployed over 2,000 electric motorcycles, enabling more than 2,000 riders to earn a living. From overnight assembly to building operations from the ground up, every constraint became something we chose to take on and solve with our team and partners on the ground. We will now accelerate and scale this impact even further.”
The Africa Resilience Investment Accelerator (ARIA) has played a critical role in supporting the investment process by offering market insights and on-the-ground support to BII and Dodai. ARIA is a collaborative initiative launched by BII and co-funded with two other development finance partners, FMO and Proparco, to boost investment in frontier markets in Africa.
It also aligns with BII’s new strategy for 2026-2031 and its target to commit at least 25 per cent of its new investments to frontier markets – those identified by the UN as the Least Developed Countries – where private sector investment remains scarce. Also, BII is committed to investing at least 40 per cent of its new investments in climate finance.