Bolt shuns Nigeria, chooses Kenya as its regional headquarters

Ride-hailing company Bolt has joined a growing list of multinationals that has shunned  Nigeria as it chooses Kenya to house its regional office for Africa.

In a statement sent to Peoples Gazette on Tuesday, Bolt’s regional spokesperson for Africa, Nthabiseng Mokoena, said the office will serve as the company’s regional nerve centre.

Ms Mokoena in the statement disclosed that the office, located in Riverside Drive, Nairobi, Kenya, will host Bolt’s top-brass leadership overseeing operations across Africa.

Bolt says the Nairobi office will provide an opportunity for it to run its operations in a more integrated and cohesive manner across the African region.

Currently, Bolt runs its African operations across seven countries including Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Tunisia, South Africa and Ghana.

Speaking during the launch, Bolt Regional Director and Interim VP for Rides, Paddy Partridge, said the development will further boost Bolt presence in Africa.

“This investment is strategic for us as it will enable us to run and coordinate operations seamlessly across Africa in an integrated manner.

“It also provides us access to the great COMESA regional markets which we are keen to expand to,” Mr Partridge said, adding that Kenya acts as a great gateway into Africa.

The announcement further places Bolt on the lists of organisations that have looked away from tapping into the potentials of Nigeria’s large market.

Twitter in 2021 chose Ghana to house its Africa Operation Headquarters, overlooking Nigeria that has over 2.5 million active users.

The development comes at a time when businesses in Nigeria continue to struggle with harsh economic conditions occasioned by incessant national grid collapse, reoccurring fuel scarcity and continued hike in the pump price of diesel.

Bolt joins the growing list of international tech companies looking to expand in Africa. 

Recall that Amazon in June announced plans to launch operations in Africa, specifically choosing Nigeria and South Africa as the location for its first marketplace.