Improved Agribusiness: Kano empowers rural women with electric agro vehicles
The Mata Zalla Entrepreneurs Cooperative, in collaboration with the UK-funded Propcom+ programme, has unveiled 20 electric agro-cargo vehicles for women farmers in Kano State as a bold step toward building a green rural economy, the move is also expected to reshape women-led agribusiness and accelerate clean transport commercialization. The initiative, tagged ‘Mata Zalla Smart Agro […]
The Mata Zalla Entrepreneurs Cooperative, in collaboration with the UK-funded Propcom+ programme, has unveiled 20 electric agro-cargo vehicles for women farmers in Kano State as a bold step toward building a green rural economy, the move is also expected to reshape women-led agribusiness and accelerate clean transport commercialization.
The initiative, tagged ‘Mata Zalla Smart Agro Cargo’, is part of the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) support for inclusive economic growth and sustainable mobility which is aimed at strengthening rural logistics, reduce post-harvest losses, and expand women’s access to agri-transport services in Kano and surrounding states.
At the official launch held in Karfi, Kura Local Government Area, Propcom+ Country Representative, Dr. Adiya Ode, described the intervention as an electric momentum for women-led economic transformation, noting that the vehicles and supporting infrastructure will stimulate rural enterprise and clean energy adoption.
Represented by Ahmad Nuru, Dr. Ode said the initiative builds on earlier UK-funded interventions under the LINKS programme, which supported the cooperative to pioneer 100 electric tricycles in partnership with The Alternative Bank.
“These vehicles, alongside the solar-powered charging station and logistics hub, are not just transport tools, they are pathways to prosperity, climate resilience, and inclusive growth,” she added.
The Mata Zalla cooperative, leader, Hajiya Hauwa Ahmed, revealed that the cooperative has positioned itself as a model for women-driven innovation in agriculture and renewable energy. According to her, the new assets include a 55-kilowatt solar charging station, eight electric bikes, four refrigerated carriers, four open cargo tricycles, and four four-wheeled agro-cargo vehicles tailored for farm produce delivery and processing logistics.
Hajiya Hauwa said the project would also create new business opportunities for rural women as transport service providers and food chain distributors, thereby expanding local value addition and green job creation.
Inaugurating the vehicles, the Kano State Commissioner for Environment and Climate Change, Dr. Dahiru Hashim, lauded the initiative as a milestone in both women’s economic empowerment and environmental sustainability.
He assured that the state government would explore ways to replicate the model across other local governments and establish more charging centres to deepen the commercial viability of electric mobility in the state.
However, agricultural stakeholders sees the Mata Zalla Smart Agro Cargo project as a business model capable of transforming rural logistics into a profitable, women-led green enterprise that will bridge the gap between agriculture, technology, and climate-smart innovation in Northern Nigeria.