Facing roadblocks in Africa, Volkswagen gambles on a new business

September 26, 2019 - Kigali, Rwanda, Africa - When Volkswagen's Africa boss Thomas Schaefer set out to conquer the continent, he quickly realised he needed more than a flashy new product. He needed a new business model. So he's placing a $50 million bet on a new business built around mobility solutions like ride-hailing and car-sharing. And VW is using Rwanda – a tiny central African nation with a growing reputation for innovation – as its laboratory.