Africa’s economic future hinges on its ability to move goods and people efficiently. For decades, the continent’s logistics and mobility sectors have been hampered by fragmentation, inefficiency, and a lack of reliable infrastructure. This has created massive friction, raising the cost of doing business and limiting economic opportunity for millions. Yet, where others see problems, a new generation of entrepreneurs sees possibility. These visionaries are harnessing technology to create smart, scalable solutions that are not just profitable but are fundamentally rebuilding the continent’s connective tissue. From digitizing long-haul trucking to electrifying public transport and building integrated super-apps, these three innovators stand out for their transformative impact and their ability to attract significant capital to power their ambitions across Nigeria, Kenya, and Algeria.
1. Obi Ozor – Kobo360 (Nigeria)
The movement of heavy goods across Africa’s vast and challenging road networks is a logistical puzzle of epic proportions. Before companies like Kobo360, the process was archaic: cargo owners struggled to find reliable, vetted trucks, while drivers often faced empty return trips and long waits for payment. This inefficiency was a major bottleneck for businesses and a source of financial precarity for millions of truck drivers.
Obi Ozor, alongside his co-founder Ife Oyedele II, launched Kobo360 in 2016 to solve this problem head-on. The company is a digital logistics platform that acts as a central hub, connecting businesses with a vast network of vetted truck drivers and owners. The platform brings the entire supply chain online, offering businesses real-time visibility into their shipments, from pickup to delivery. This digital-first approach eliminates the need for phone calls and paperwork, leading to significant cost savings and more predictable delivery times.
Kobo360’s brilliance lies in its dual-sided value proposition. For businesses, it offers a reliable, transparent, and efficient way to move cargo. For the thousands of truck drivers on its platform, Kobo360 is more than just a job board. It provides access to financing for truck repairs, discounted fuel and spare parts, and a streamlined payment system that ensures they are paid quickly. This ecosystem-based approach not only professionalizes the trucking industry but also provides a path to economic empowerment for its participants. The company’s success in building this trust and efficiency has allowed it to expand beyond its Nigerian roots into Ghana, Kenya, and other African countries. Ozor’s vision and Kobo360’s proven model have attracted substantial investment, solidifying its position as a leader in the African logistics space. The company’s fundraising journey includes a $20 million Series A funding round in 2019, which was a mix of equity and debt, led by Goldman Sachs. Other notable investors include the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Y Combinator. This was followed by a pivotal $56.4 million Series B funding round with Afrexim Bank’s equity arm, demonstrating its ability to attract both venture capital and institutional funding. This capital has been crucial for scaling their technology and growing their network of drivers and clients across the continent.
2. Jit Bhattacharya – BasiGo (Kenya)
In major African cities, public transportation is a critical economic and social engine, but it has long been dominated by aging, diesel-powered buses. This reliance on imported fossil fuels drives up operating costs, contributes to severe air pollution, and makes the system vulnerable to global price shocks. Jit Bhattacharya, a former electric vehicle engineer from Silicon Valley, co-founded BasiGo in 2021 to solve this with a revolutionary approach to electric public transport.BasiGo is an e-mobility company that provides electric buses to public transport operators on an innovative “Pay-As-You-Drive” model. This model addresses the biggest hurdle to electric vehicle adoption: the high upfront cost. By separating the bus from its battery, BasiGo allows bus owners to purchase the vehicle at a cost comparable to a traditional diesel bus. They then pay a mileage-based fee that covers all essential services, including charging, maintenance, and insurance. This inclusive model eliminates the operator’s financial risk and provides a clear path to profitability. The company has since expanded into Rwanda, further proving the scalability of its model.
The company has built a robust ecosystem to support its fleet, including a growing network of charging depots powered by Kenya’s predominantly renewable electricity grid. This focus on infrastructure and a service-oriented business model has earned BasiGo strong government backing in both Kenya and Rwanda. The company’s electric buses are not just cleaner; they are also more reliable and cheaper to operate than their diesel counterparts, leading to significant savings for bus owners and a better experience for commuters. The long-term environmental and health benefits for urban populations are immeasurable.
BasiGo’s transformative vision has attracted significant investment from both commercial and development finance institutions. The company secured a $42 million funding round in 2024, a mix of equity and debt, led by Africa50, the pan-African infrastructure investor. This substantial funding is a powerful validation of BasiGo’s business model and is being used to scale up its local assembly of buses and expand its operations across East Africa, with a goal of deploying 1,000 electric buses in the next few years.
3. Noureddine Tayebi – Yassir (Algeria)
The digital transformation of everyday services in North and Francophone Africa is a complex challenge, given the fragmented nature of local markets and a significant reliance on cash. Noureddine Tayebi, a PhD holder from Stanford University and a veteran of Silicon Valley, returned to his native Algeria to tackle this head-on. He founded Yassir in 2017 with a mission to build a “super-app” that would simplify the lives of people in the region. Yassir, which means “easy” in Arabic, started as a ride-hailing app and has since grown into a powerful all-in-one platform for transportation, food delivery, and digital payments.
Yassir’s business model is a masterstroke of integration. The company’s strategy is to capture market share by offering essential on-demand services, which builds trust and a large user base. Once established, it leverages this user base to introduce a digital wallet, allowing it to move into the nascent but high-potential fintech space. This seamless ecosystem allows users to manage their daily needs from commuting to work to ordering groceries, all from a single application. For its partners, including drivers, merchants, and couriers, Yassir provides a vital digital lifeline, creating a steady source of income and a streamlined way to do business.
The company’s focus on local solutions and its rapid expansion across multiple countries including Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, and Senegal, has made it a formidable player in the African tech scene. Yassir’s success is a testament to its deep understanding of regional market dynamics, where a one-size-fits-all approach often fails. By empowering local talent and providing a platform that caters to local needs, Yassir is not just a company but a catalyst for digital economic inclusion.
Tayebi’s ambition and Yassir’s impressive growth have attracted significant international investment, making it one of the most valuable startups in North Africa. The company raised a total of $193.25 million in funding over several rounds. A landmark moment was its $150 million Series B funding round in 2022, which was led by BOND, one of Silicon Valley’s largest venture capital firms, with participation from Y Combinator and other major global investors. This funding is being used to accelerate its expansion, particularly in West Africa, and to deepen its foray into financial services.
These entrepreneurs and their companies are not just building successful businesses; they are building the critical digital infrastructure that will power Africa’s economic future. By addressing local inefficiencies with globally scalable technology, they are proving that logistics and mobility are not merely support functions, but catalysts for continental transformation and sustainable economic growth.
