Kobo360, the IFC-backed African e-Logistics startup has officially launched in Nairobi, Kenya after five months of running a beta operation in the East African nation.
For the five months, the firm has registered over 3,000 trucks and truck owners and is working with big-time clients such as Bidco Africa, Union Logistics Limited, Intraspeed ARCPRO Kenya LTD, Bakhresa Group, Rafiki Millers and McNeel Millers.
Kobo360’s entry into East Africa, where Sendy, Senga, Lori and Bwala started out was due to a number of factors.
Kenya’s Port of Mombasa is the largest and busiest port in East Africa, handling more than 13 million tonnes every year. The port provides a direct connection to over 80 ports worldwide, whilst serving as a gateway to other East African countries such as Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, DRC, and Southern Sudan.
“As the largest port in East Africa, Kenya’s Mombasa serves as a gateway to other East African markets. Our presence in Kenya means we are in a position to leverage on the nation’s high technology adoption rate in order to fuel logistics in East Africa and beyond. We anticipate to strengthen our links across this region, which will bring us closer to building our Global Logistics Operating System (G-LOS) to ensure fast and low-cost movement of goods for businesses on the continent,” said Kagure Wamunyu, Kobo360 CEO – African region.
The launch in Kenya also comes as the company looks to foster seamless intra-African trade by connecting and supporting cargo owners, truck owners & drivers, and cargo recipients.
As the technology logistics platform revolutionizes the logistics value chain in Africa, currently estimated at $150Bn, Kobo360 is growing its reach in East Africa in order to support the thousands of freight companies who require a safe, reliable and cost effective delivery of their goods to cargo recipients across the region.
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Ateet Jetha, Managing Director of Exxon Group said, “We are excited to see Kobo360’s presence in Kenya. Since operating in beta, we’ve seen how they utilise technology to power enterprise and the logistics sector. We look forward to building a strong strategic partnership with Kobo360, as we fix supply chain inefficiencies across East Africa”.
The firm connects end-to-end haulage operations to help cargo owners, truck owners and drivers, and cargo recipients to achieve an efficient supply chain framework. Through an all-in-one robust logistics ecosystem reducing logistics frictions in supply chain via a combination of Internet of Things (IOT), mobile technology and data analytics.
Using its web and mobile platforms, Kobo360 matches a user’s request with a selection of quality trucks of all categories, anytime with service delivery guaranteed – no telephones, opaque pricing or expensive middlemen needed.
Kobo is also present in Uganda, Togo and Ghana and recently raised $30M led by Goldman Sachs to fuel growth.
