Kobo360, a technology logistics platform, has announced its expansion plan to Accra in Ghana and Nairobi in Kenya. The expansion plan is sequel to the successful launch of its operations in Lome, Togo, the home to West Africa’s largest shipping port. The company is also considering a rapid expansion for the African start-ups.
Backed by international and African investors, including International Finance Corporation (IFC), Y Combinator and TLcom, the move comes as Kobo360 seeks to build a global logistic operating system that will power trade and commerce across Africa and emerging markets. Positioned as key trading and transport hubs on the African continent, the new territories have seen almost exclusively double-digit growth, with Togo having 12 per cent growth, Kenya 10 per cent growth, and Ghana 7.9 per cent growth.
The company is currently rolling out a beta operation in Ghana, recording over 100 trips and collaborating with clients such Olam Ghana, and expects to test the Kenyan market further, in the coming weeks. The team will meet with drivers and equip them with the tools they need to run trips effectively, while also imbibing African culture and brand affinity with the supply chain. In Nigeria, Kobo360 has stood at the forefront of logistics, covering over 80 per cent of the country and recording a 40 per cent cost reduction in the supply chain. The company now plans to aggressively extend to other key markets and expects to be in nine African countries before the end of 2019.
Speaking from the recent Africa CEO Forum in Kigali, Co-founder and CTO of Kobo360, Ife Oyedele, said: “We estimate that Africa needs 10X the number of trucks to meet short-term commercial transport needs, since rail continue to underperform. Time, cost and quality are key drivers of success in logistics which is why we, at Kobo360, are building a global logistics operating system that will ensure fast movement of goods at a lower cost for businesses across Africa.
“Kenya is the hub of East Africa, it is the most innovative market in Technology and if we win here, we have won across the region. From here we will expand to Uganda and Tanzania. By adding Ghana to our West African territories of Togo and Nigeria, we will link all the market to a Global Logistics System and this will help us to serve our customers across a seamlessly lined Pan-African market. By this we create value to our customers as we are in all the key countries in the continent.”
To-date, the company has partnered global logistics brands including Dangote Group, DHL, Unilever and Lafarge and has moved over 297M KG of goods, serviced over 1,450 businesses and aggregated a fleet of over 10,000 drivers and trucks.
