By Moses Akaigwe
There was palpable excitement recently in Ibadan as Africar, a technology startup with a vision to develop and operate transport solutions through ride-hailing, formally flagged off its business in the ancient city with the unveiling of Bajaj Qute.
Speaking at the event, Africar Chief Executive Officer, Sahil Vaswani, stated that the new Bajaj Qute his company built in partnership with the National Automotive Design and Development Council {NADDC}, is a car assembled in Nigeria by Nigerians for the hailing service.
According to him, Bajaj Qute was built to support low-cost and affordable transportation for the masses, adding that it is environmentally friendly with 50 percent lower carbon emissions than a regular car.
Vaswani remarked, “We believe in Africar, we can help youth empowerment through employment in the automobile sector, from the assembly factory, service stations, etc. And currently Africar, has thousands of drivers that have diplomas that need job opportunities.
“There is huge employment potential as relative to market potential. That is why creating growth of SMEs {small and medium scale industries} to support assembly plants, service stations and other ancillary industries, is part of our mission. As we know, every job creation is one family supported. With the growth of Africar in various cities, we would be supporting tens of thousands of families all over Nigeria.”
Africar was introduced to the guests in Ibadan as part of the Stallion Group – a conglomerate home-grown group of companies which over the past 52 years has been developing businesses around commodities, agriculture, automobile assembly and automobile distributorship,
Stallion is also active in food products, FMCG {fast-moving consumer goods}, mining, agro industries, fisheries, steel manufacturing, real estate, financial services, technology, logistics, shipping and other sectors.
At the event which was attended by various government officials and dignitaries, Africar management reiterated its commitment to using the new venture to reduce unemployment and crime rate in Nigeria through provision of jobs and empowermrnt.
Guests were also informed that in line with its vision and mission, African is committed to the provision of affordable, “reliable and comfortable transport solutions to the masses in every state we operate,” as well as “eco-friendly solutions for lower carbon emissions (introduction of Electric Vehicles).”
In his remarks, the Chief Operating Officer, Joe Mathews, disclosed that the customers in Ibadan had already shown a lot of interest in the service and feel that the integral part of Africar is its reliability, disciplined and well behaved drivers.
One of the most important aspects of Africar;’s business, he explained, is that once you have booked a ride, you can rest peacefully as the driver will be at the doorstep to pick you up without canceling the rides which is a predominant issue elsewhere.
According to the Marketing Manager, Ani Rosemary O., after an earlier soft launch in Ibadan, Africar has garnered more than 100,000 downloads and thousands of successful rides in a very short time.
She affirmed that Africar has been well received in the city, adding that the acceptance of the brand says a lot about the growth potential of the company in various cities of Nigeria.
Gov. Seyi Makinde of Oyo state, through his Chief of Staff stated that the state has been witnessing a tremendous growth in the transport sector since the inception of this administration, especially in the areas of transport Infrastructure and procurement of Vehicles for mass transit.
Also speaking, the Minister for Industry, Trade, and Investment, Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo, stated that Africar’s platform has the potential to transform the transportation industry in the state, providing both employment opportunities and low-cost rides.
He commended the company for giving attention to the safety and security of its passengers, stating, “I have had the opportunity to see the tracking systems and I have also met a few of their drivers who seem well trained and disciplined.”
Adebayo further stated, “However, my interest in this project is not limited to the consumer benefits. My interest also lies in the fact that all the cars being used for this project are assembled in Lagos at Stallion’s VON plant in Ojo, along the Badagry expressway.
“Africar, in partnership with the NADDC, the parastatal under my ministry, has developed the car that we see here today. A ride-hailing app that uses only locally assembled cars has the potential to transform the local industry. Integration of Nigeria’s automobile industry is a key presidential priority area.
“It is an area with huge potential and the ministry is working assiduously to mitigate the challenges it has faced and to revive the sector. Integration of Nigeria’s automobile industry is a key presidential priority area. It is an area with huge potential and the ministry is working assiduously to mitigate the challenges it has faced and to revive the sector.
“If this initiative can be accepted nationally, it will support millions of families across the country and have a major impact on local auto assembly and component manufacture.”