Bolt, the ride-hailing company, announced that it is opening a regional hub in Kenya that will serve as a host for top managers running operations in Africa.
Before this development, the Uber rival did not have a hub in Africa. It is currently operational in seven African countries which include Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, and Tunisia.
“Its strategic location in the region and the available infrastructure has enabled us to grow tremendously in the East African market and we believe we can leverage this to still achieve more across the entire continent,” Bolt regional director Paddy Partridge said.
According to Business Daily, the company says it will use Nairobi’s strategic location on the continent to expand to other Comesa markets as it raises to grow its market share in the ride-hailing sector.
“This is just the beginning, and we hope it enables us to develop a cohesive model for sustainable cities engagement that will help improve city services, and urban transportation for the millions of people in the region,” Partridge said.
Bolt joins tech giants such as Google and Microsoft in establishing hubs and labs in Nairobi.
In April Google announced that it is investing in a product development hub in Kenya as part of its Sh115.5 billion ($1-billion) investment in Africa over the next five years.
Much earlier, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta unveiled the completed $27-million Microsoft Africa Development Centre in Nairobi — a facility that is meant to bolster the Kenyan government’s quest to secure high-tech jobs in the digital space for the youth.
According to Techweez, Bolt already represents 16 towns in the country.
By Zintle Nkohla
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