Ghanaian-Cameroonian entrepreneur Celeste Vogel named 2026 Cartier Women’s Initiative Fellow

eWAKA, an African electric mobility startup, has announced that its co-founder and CEO, who is a Ghanaian-Cameroonian entrepreneur, Céleste Tchetgen Vogel, has been selected as a 2026 Cartier Women’s Initiative Fellow, recognizing her efforts to electrify Africa’s last-mile delivery ecosystem and expand economic opportunities for riders.

Celeste Vogel was chosen from a global pool of applicants and represents the Anglophone and Lusophone Africa category of the 2026 Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards, a program that honors women entrepreneurs leveraging business to drive positive social and environmental change.

Vogel’s impact on clean mobility in Africa
Since co-founding eWAKA in 2021, Celeste Vogel has led the company’s mission to make last-mile transportation across Africa clean, affordable, and accessible. The company provides electric motorcycles and cargo bikes, paired with financing models that enable riders to own their vehicles, alongside battery-swapping and charging infrastructure to support operations.

Under her leadership, eWAKA has grown into an integrated mobility platform, combining electric vehicles, financing, and proprietary software to coordinate deliveries and fleet operations. The company is building a managed electric delivery network designed to reduce costs for businesses while ensuring stable incomes for riders.

Operating in Kenya and Rwanda, eWAKA is expanding into Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo, reflecting its ambition to scale its clean mobility model across the continent.

Strong growth across operations
eWAKA’s expansion has been supported by steady operational growth. The company currently supports nearly 1,500 active riders and has completed more than one million deliveries, marking a significant increase compared to the previous year.

Its merchant platform has onboarded over 550 vendors, while riders have collectively earned approximately Ksh25 million ($190,000), representing notable growth year-on-year. The company has also created more than 1,500 jobs, with over 85% of riders aged between 18 and 30.

Through its electric mobility operations, eWAKA has avoided more than 3,000 metric tons of CO₂ emissions, reinforcing its role in advancing sustainable urban transport. The company is also woman-founded and woman-led, with women participating across its network as riders, vendors, and agents.

Support from global partners
eWAKA’s growth has been backed by international partners, including the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) through its Start-up Fund, alongside impact investors and development finance institutions. The company also collaborates with ETH Zurich on battery technology and fleet data optimization.

Celeste Vogel said the recognition reinforces the company’s long-term vision: “Mobility should open doors, not close them. When a rider can own a clean vehicle and earn a living with it, a whole family moves forward, and the city breathes a little easier. That is the future eWAKA is building, one electric mile at a time.”

Celeste Vogel added that being selected for the initiative’s 20th anniversary edition validates the company’s direction and strengthens its commitment to scaling its impact.

About the Cartier Women’s Initiative
Founded in 2006, the Cartier Women’s Initiative is a global entrepreneurship program that supports women-led businesses addressing critical social and environmental challenges. The initiative provides financial support, leadership development, and access to a global network to help fellows scale their ventures.

The 2026 edition, themed “Lighting the Path,” marks the program’s 20th anniversary and celebrates women entrepreneurs driving transformative change worldwide. The awards ceremony, held on June 10, 2026, in Bangkok, Thailand, brought together 30 fellows across 10 categories.

Kiyo Taga-Witkin, Director of the Cartier Women’s Initiative, praised Celeste Vogel’s work, noting that her leadership demonstrates how entrepreneurship can deliver meaningful and lasting impact.

What’s next for eWAKA?
As it expands into new African markets, eWAKA aims to scale its integrated electric mobility platform, increasing access to clean transport while creating jobs and supporting small businesses.

With rising demand for sustainable logistics and urban delivery solutions, the company’s model positions it to play a growing role in Africa’s transition toward cleaner, more inclusive mobility systems.