Logistics is commerce. And whenever there is paralysis in logistics, supply chain struggles. Nigeria and indeed Africa have doses of supply chain paralyses at scale. Yes, while many just complain, some brilliant minds are out to fix the frictions and enjoy the glories. Gokada, Zido, Kobo360, Max and other transportation sector related startups have been in business to fix the frictions at different levels and domains: Kobo360 with trucks, Zido with tricycles and Gokada with motorcycles.
The big news today is that Uber is expanding operations in Nigeria and broad West Africa with UberBoat. (Uber is currently operating in the region; it is simply upping the game with new investments.) Yes, Gokada went for it, Max followed and now Uber has come for the moments. Just for saying that, Uber saw its stock onto the northstar, rising 5%. You know what? Markets like that Uber will swim in the Lagos waters to help Nigerians move faster. Game on – logistics; may the best solution win!
Uber is looking to expand into West Africa. Shares of the ride-hailing company rose as much as 5% on Thursday after an executive told Reuters that Uber was talking to regulators in the region about expanding its services in Senegal and the Ivory Coast.
Uber is also exploring the possibility of offering boat rides on waterways in Lagos, Nigeria, to alleviate street traffic, according to Reuters. The company started offering boat rides in Mumbai, India, earlier this year. Uber already launched a ride-hailing service in Lagos, a city with 20 million people, in July 2014.
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Nigeria’s transportation sector is now like a full cow, already prepared for eating, all you need do is to come with your own knife; you can cut as much as you can eat. And people have been cutting the meat, which will continue, until it gets to the bones: massive rail and road infrastructures at scale. Even the government is afraid of touching the bones, and the entrepreneurs don’t think there’s anything inside them…
I am beginning to think that our transportation sector paralysis is doing everything possible to emulate our power sector, where generator sales and use have become mainstream, while the museum-like power infrastructures are providing a backup. And then the lobbying would be replicated, just like in the power sector, with regulations that would end up guaranteeing that everything remains in a state of hibernation.
In the meantime, we need temporary relief, and that’s what is playing out. Nigeria is a theatre.
“Nigeria’s transportation sector is now like a full cow ” Yes, indeed. Logistics is very liquid