A drive-to-own model for safe and affordable mobility

Angola

Sergio Tati, co-founder and CEO of Anda, talks to The Energy Year about professionalising Angola’s informal transportation sector with tailored financing, insurance and training for taxi drivers, and the company’s next steps towards building up electric vehicle fleets.

Anda is an Angolan provider of asset financing for ride-hailing and delivery services.

• Asset ownership models and access to credit among participants in Angola’s informal or underregulated transport markets will influence which electric vehicle technologies gain traction in Angola’s urban centres. For example, battery swapping could be a more practical model than charging stations for small commercial vehicles, as it reduces downtime for drivers.
• Petrol station networks can provide the footprint needed for battery-charging or swapping hubs, creating a possible bridge between traditional downstream infrastructure and new energy services.
• Drive-to-own models create a pathway to asset ownership that simultaneously incentivises safe driving and regular maintenance to preserve asset value.

How did the idea behind Anda take shape?
We started the business about three and a half years ago to tackle two deeply entrenched and interconnected mobility problems in Angola and across Africa. The first is the lack of access to safe and affordable mobility options, and the second is the lack of access to credit to build fleets.
We started with motorcycle taxis, which are a huge part of daily transport in Angola. There are about 1.2 million motorcycle taxis in the country – about 600,000 in Luanda alone – so we quickly realised that formalising this ecosystem was essential. After exploring electric bike sharing and other asset-light approaches inspired by European examples, we realised the real opportunity was not the technology, but structuring the sector itself.
The idea thus became to build a platform similar in spirit to ride-hailing models, but adapted to local realities. That meant going beyond the technology and into designing models for asset ownership, financing and formalisation. Ultimately, the goal was to transform informal drivers into professional service providers, addressing mobility and financial inclusion at the same time.

Can you walk us through your drive-to-own model?
One of the fundamental challenges we identified early on was that most drivers do not own the vehicles they operate. They lease or rent them from third parties, meaning they build no equity over time. This creates a cycle where drivers remain financially constrained, with no pathway to ownership or upward mobility.
Our drive-to-own model was launched as a concept with just five bikes under a financing solution that gave drivers ownership of the asset after a defined period. This seemingly simple shift had immediate and powerful effects. Drivers began to take better care of their vehicles and drove more cautiously to prevent accidents, because they had a personal stake in the asset.
From there, we built an entire ecosystem around the model. We introduced Angola’s first insurance products designed specifically for motorcycle taxi drivers. They cover the driver, the passenger and the vehicle. We ensured proper licensing, integrated maintenance into weekly payments and provided safety equipment such as helmets and vests. We also positioned ourselves as the intermediary between drivers and government authorities, handling regulatory interactions so drivers can focus on their work.
The result has been that an informal, fragmented activity has been transformed into a structured and professional service. By providing adequate financing for the assets, our model helps improve safety and enable long-term economic participation for drivers to build stable livelihoods.

How has your business and asset base scaled since those first steps?
Our pilot evolved into a multi-asset platform. First, we incorporated tuk-tuks and, more recently, cars. Today, we manage more than 600 cars and have a financing pipeline exceeding 1,000 vehicles.
At the same time, we have built institutional credibility, obtaining backing from funds in Austria, France, the US, Japan and Madagascar. That was particularly important because, besides validating our business model, it signalled the broader opportunity that exists in Angola’s mobility and fintech sectors.
However, beyond scale, what is more important is the layered social and economic value we help generate. Drivers gain financial education and can earn enough to support their families. We contribute to tax revenues and provide governments with data about a previously opaque sector, giving them insights into a broad and unmanaged activity.
We have also established an academy, licensed by the government, to train and certify drivers. Our drivers pay for the training themselves, and if they do not pass, they do not receive the asset, which ensures commitment and accountability while building professionalism and consistent standards across the platform.

What role will electric vehicles (EVs) play in your long-term strategy, and have you lined up any partnerships?
Having validated the business model, EVs have become central to our growth strategy, and we are transitioning towards electrification across all our asset classes. The shift is supported by the economics of EVs. While the upfront investment is higher, the efficiency of the vehicles and their lower maintenance requirements reduce operational costs, increasing the lifetime return on the asset.
Our approach is based on battery swapping rather than charging, as it’s particularly advantageous for two- and three-wheelers. We are rolling out hubs in partnership with petrol station operators, where each one is essentially a 40-foot container capable of charging up to 120 batteries simultaneously. Instead of waiting to charge, drivers simply swap batteries and continue working, which allows commercial drivers to avoid downtime.
An infrastructure layer is essential for our EV business to succeed and be viable at scale in Angola. Early collaborations with TotalEnergies and Sonangol have been very helpful, and we continue to seek partnerships with companies that are investing in charging infrastructure and exploring new energy models. There is a natural alignment between Anda and traditional fuel distributors. They are looking to evolve their business models, and by working together, we can accelerate that process while leveraging their existing footprint.

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