Francis
Romano

Building an integrated African clean-mobility ecosystem across energy, charging, battery circularity, skills and digital platforms.

Francis Romano is CEO of Drive Electric Solutions Ltd. and founder of Knights Energy, BRReTTeC and E-Charge Africa. His ventures connect complementary parts of Africa's clean-energy and electric-mobility transition.

A pioneer in Kenya's electric-mobility sector since 2013, Francis works across industry, government, academia and international technology partnerships to move emerging solutions towards commercially scalable implementation.

His work spans battery circularity, electric-vehicle charging infrastructure, renewable energy, workforce development and digital mobility platforms, with a strong focus on building local capacity and viable African value chains.

He champions collaborative ecosystems that connect technology, policy, investment and skills. This approach supports stronger local industry, skilled employment and projects capable of operating at meaningful scale.

At the Africa EV Summit 2026, Francis contributes a practical industry perspective to the discussion on moving from critical minerals towards circular, locally anchored value chains.