On-demand Ride-Hailing Startup Gozem to Launch Digital wallet and Delivery Services

Gozem, an on-demand ride-hailing startup that operates in Benin and Togo has revealed plans to launch a digital wallet product and a delivery service in 2020.

Gozem was founded by Emeka Ajene and Singapore-based Co-founder, Raphael Dana in 2018. Ajene, before co-founding Gozem, led operations and business development for Uber Nigeria in 2016. The company since inception has raised $3 million and is even in the process of closing an additional $3 million.

The platform operates a ride-hailing service that offers motorcycle-taxis, auto-rickshaws and air-conditioned taxis. The company expanded to Benin in June 2019 after launching in Togo in 2018, with plans to expand to 10 counties in West and Central Africa by 2023. Gozem intends to expand across Cameroon, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Burkina Faso, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ghana, Nigeria and Rwanda.

Gozem, which is registered in Singapore has about 800 registered drivers. The reason why it is headquartered in Singapore is that majority of its founding teams are there. They aim to increase its driver’s portfolio to 3000 by the end of 2019 and to 300,000 by 2024. Gozem presently has about 130,000 users.

According to Emeka Ajene the MD of Gozem, the company is currently executing the first phase of its strategy. This, they will achieve by building a robust ride-hailing business across two to three markets. In his words, “We’re preparing for the second phase that includes the launch of our digital wallet and delivery services across all our markets.”

Gozem has an aggressive expansion strategy with a product road-map that span across Africa’s top sectors — logistics, transport and payments and also access to capital.