What was the initiative?

During his Fellowship, Anthony aimed to address the challenges faced by rickshaw drivers, who ensure long hours and high fuel costs while often struggling to provide necessities for their families, including electricity. By converting existing gasoline-powered rickshaws to electric, the initiative alleviated drivers of the burden of fuel costs and potentially reduce their working hours. Additionally, Anthony’s initiative harnessed electric rickshaws to provide much-needed electricity to their homes, especially during nighttime when it’s most needed for lighting and other essential tasks. Improving the earnings of rickshaw drivers and reducing operating cost by building a renewable electric infrastructure to serve communities as well as to let rickshaw drivers convert to electrical systems. This will encourage adoption and drive the future of self-driven sustainability by having rickshaw drivers and others power their homes.

Anthony’s initiative not only improves the quality of life for rickshaw drivers and their families by reducing financial strain and providing access to electricity but also contributes to combating the climate crisis. By transitioning to electric mobility solutions and utilizing renewable energy sources, Anthony’s initiative aims to create a sustainable model that benefits both the drivers and the environment. Furthermore, by empowering rickshaw drivers to become active participants in the green energy and mobility sector, we create opportunities for them to increase their income and contribute positively to their communities while helping to push towards a green productive economy globally through a shared benefit system.  

Through this integrated approach, Antony’s initiative seeks to create a win-win solution that addresses the socio-economic challenges faced by rickshaw drivers while also advancing environmental sustainability and fostering economic empowerment.

What was the community connection?

Anthony’s journey to reconnect with his community in Lagos, and later in Benin-city, Nigeria, began with a simple ride in a tuk-tuk back to his residence. Anthony’s discomfort from the fumes and noise sparked a conversation with the driver, revealing the harsh reality of his financial struggles despite his tireless work to support his family. This encounter planted the seed for his initiative. 

Upon returning to Canada, Anthony assembled a team and enagaged with over 200 rickshaw drivers across southern and western Nigeria to understand their key challenges. He discovered that about 85% of rickshaw drivers spend at least 45% of their income on fuel and vehicle maintenance. Despite initial hesitation, his potential solution gradually gained acceptance as drivers witnesses Anthony’s commitment to finding solutions. They appreciated his daily presence, which underscored his seriousness about making a difference in their lives.

As Anthony converted gasoline-powered rickshaws to electric vehicles, his relationship with the community evolved. They became not just beneficiaries but active participants, eager to learn and contribute despite the demands of their own rickshaw businesses and family responsibilities. Providing deeper feedback during utilizing brought hope and unity among the drivers, many of whom have become champions of the initiative. 

Now, Anthony’s commitment is stronger than ever, as a collective unity with a shared personal pain to solve through this solution. Drivers are willing to support in creating a commercially viable solution. They seek Antony for updates, share thoughts on improving the initiative, and eagerly anticipate converting their own rickshaws. Together, Anthony’s initiative is not just transforming rickshaws but building a sustainable future for families and communities. 

How was it innovative?

Anthony employed asset-based community development principles, leveraging existing resources and capacities within the community though their mechanics, electricians, and parts vendor to drive positive change during conversion. Budgeting and financing structures were carefully designed to align with the project’s goals, ensuring transparent tracking of costs and potential for future asset financing to enable rickshaw drivers to adopt this solution given the high start-up cost for EV mobility solutions. Participatory monitoring and evaluation practices facilitated reflective learning, allowing Anthony’s initiative to adapt and refine strategies based on feedback and lessons learned. Facilitation and adult learning techniques were utilized to educate rickshaw drivers on new technologies and clearly communicate the benefits to their lives and those of their families and it helped to utilize processes and solutions which they were already familiar with. Effective stakeholder management and product road–mapping ensured that community interests were incorporated into the project design and that scalability was considered from the outset. Understanding power dynamics and privileging community voices helped Anthony to understand communities and facilitate their participation in decision-making processes especially in areas like passenger experience, fuel purchase and home powering. The theory of change underpinning Anthony’s project emphasized the potential for cheaper, cleaner energy to improve the lives of rickshaw drivers and their families, contributing to broader socio-economic development in the community. Through these innovative approaches, Anthony’s initiative was able to address community priorities in a new and impactful way, demonstrating the potential for sustainable, community-led solutions to create positive change. 

Throughout the Fellowship, Anthony’s initiative embarked on various activities, fostering community engagement and resource mobilization through townhall gatherings and collaboration with local stakeholders. This inclusive approach accelerated his project’s success, showcasing the importance of community involvement in alternative problem-solving. Anthony personally gained invaluable insights into patience and the impact of cultural practices on work environments, refining his leadership skills and adaptability in diverse settings, especially during unforeseen challenges. 

A highlight of Anthony’s endeavor was the successful conversion of rickshaws to electric power, driven by communal feedback that shaped the development of future iterations. This innovation significantly reduced operating costs for drivers while providing sustainable energy solutions for their households, enhancing livelihoods, and promoting environmental sustainability. 

Anthony’s community takes immense pride in the tangible outcomes of our initiative, particularly in the newfound ability of rickshaws to power homes quietly without any additional cost. This outcome has spurred interest among drivers, leading to the adoption of association pricing models and facilitating potential government support. 

Reflecting on Anthony’s journey, he recognizes the transformative power of collaboration and community-driven solutions. His initiative has not only enriched the lives of rickshaw drivers and their families but also set a precedent for sustainable development and social impact. Moving forward, he is committed to building upon this success, contributing to a brighter future for his community and beyond. 

What is Anthony doing now?

Anthony’s immediate plans post-Fellowship primarily is scaling up the initiative to reach more rickshaw drivers and communities the goal is 16,000 for 2024-2025, potentially expanding to other regions or cities across the country into the Sub-Saharan Africa Western and Eastern Africa. His primary goal is to secure additional funding, form strategic partnerships, and refining the project model based on lessons learned during the Fellowship across various communities as a Wishlist and interest roadmap and stakeholder alignment document provides the compass for this to be realized. 

Anthony’s future aspirations include further innovation and adaptation to address evolving community needs, such as introducing new technologies or services to enhance the sustainability and effectiveness of the project which he wants to realize by being a founder, advocate, and community mobilizer not just across Africa but also across emerging markets. Additionally, there is currently a desire to advocate for policy changes or government support to create a more conducive environment for sustainable transportation and energy solutions which though the rickshaw association and increased usability and benefit realization though the drivers can be further realized. 

Continued community engagement and empowerment will remain central to Anthony’s initiative’s long-term goals, ensuring that the benefits of the project are sustained and expanded over time.