First Bolt Accelerator Programme Awards hosted in South Africa

Prior, the programme was implemented with great success in Nigeria, Kenya and Ghana.

Bolt, one of the leading ride-hailing platforms in Africa, officially launched the BAP Awards in South Africa with the aim of empowering Bolt drivers and their immediate family members by providing them with seed funding, mentorship and business training to develop innovative solutions addressing real-life tech mobility challenges in the country.

The BAP is designed to support business ideas that focus on sustainability, inclusive mobility, and on creating more people-centric cities. By fostering entrepreneurship within its driver community, Bolt seeks to transform ride-hailing from merely a source of income into a launch pad for entrepreneurial dreams.

"The Bolt Accelerator Programme is more than just a business initiative, it’s a partnership; a promise to invest in the growth and development of our driver partners," said Lerato Motsoeneng, Bolt’s Senior General Manager for South Africa. "Because if you grow as our partners, we grow, and South Africa thrives."

The program began with an open call for applications and received nearly 500 submissions from Bolt drivers and their family members across South Africa. Following a rigorous evaluation process, 100 participants were selected to advance to the next phase.

These participants followed a 10-week hybrid training and mentorship programme hosted by Pranary, a practical business school known for its hands-on approach to entrepreneurship education. The curriculum included expert-led workshops, strategic guidance and access to an AI-enhanced learning platform.

Sandras Phiri, founder and CEO of Pranary praised Bolt for the initiative, saying: “It’s good when we have big companies like Bolt, which empower not only the drivers through work but also empowers them to start their own businesses. This is incredible.”

At the culmination of the programme, participants presented their business ideas during a Business Pitch Day. The top 20 ideas were shortlisted, and finally the top 10 each received €2,000 (approximately R40,000) in seed funding, along with ongoing mentorship to help bring their ventures to fruition.

The 10 winners were Kamogelo Modise, Masedi Seshibi, Williams Makgato, Zaheer Yusuf, Luyanelisa Lukaka, Simamkele Xani, Nancy Shoba, Vutivi Shivambu, Uhone Ndou and Shanon Adams.

Other partners included the Gauteng Department of Economic Development and the Department of Transport.

The expansion of the BAP to South Africa builds on its successful implementation in Nigeria, Kenya and Ghana, where it has already funded 30 driver-partner businesses.

These ventures range from mobile apps for vehicle maintenance to electric vehicle charging stations and fleet management solutions.

To participate in the BAP, applicants had to meet the following criteria:

· Be an active Bolt driver with at least 100 completed trips, or an immediate family member (spouse or child over 18) of such a driver.

· Must reside in South Africa.

· Be available to commit off-peak hours over a 10-week period for intensive hybrid training and mentoring sessions.

· Present a feasible business idea addressing real-life tech mobility challenges in South Africa, focusing on sustainability, inclusive mobility, or creating more people-centric cities.

The launch of the BAP Awards marks a significant step in fostering innovation and entrepreneurship within South Africa's transport sector, empowering individuals to drive change in their communities.