Gozem, an African-focused superapp, launches an e-hailing service in Gabon
Gozem, an African-focused superapp, launches an e-hailing service in Gabon
Gozem, a West African startup that offers eCommerce, ride-hailing, logistics, food delivery, and fintech services, has launched a taxi booking app in Gabon. This is the first time Gozem's operations will extend beyond West Africa. As such, its current focus is on Francophone African markets.
Residents of Libreville, Gabon's capital, can now use the Gozem app to access digital ride-hailing services. The service is not available outside the city as at now.
Initially, Gozem's operations were limited to the Republic of Benin and Togo — two West African countries. Both countries have a larger population than Gabon, which has a population of 2.5 million. According to TechCabal, Emeka Ajene, the startup's CEO and co-founder explained why the startup chose Gabon: "Gabon is quite attractive because it is a wealthier country in terms of GDP than our existing markets, and significantly wealthier in terms of GDP per capital."
Working mode of Gozem
The ride-hailing service will operate similarly to Uber and Bolt. The determination of the fee structure depends on the distance traveled. Cash, credit cards, Airtel Money, or the Moove Money Fintech platform are all accepted modes of payment.
Since its inception in Togo as a motorcycle ride-hailing startup in 2018, Gozem has made its ambition to be Africa's No. 1 super app abundantly clear. Today, the app operates in various verticals, including electronic transportation, food delivery, eCommerce, logistics, and financial services, with continued expansion driven by customer demand.
Gozem is far from the first African startup with grandiose app ambitions. Similar aspirations motivated startups such as OPay in Nigeria and CanGo in Central Africa.
CanGo abruptly ceased operations in January 2020, while specific challenges unique to the Lagos State market stymied OPay, which abandoned ambition in favor of fintech.
Gozem's Central African launch demonstrates that it is as tenacious in the pursuit of its vision today as it was when it began. Time will tell if it becomes a super app.
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