Expansion: Kenya’s little gears up for Ethiopian market  - Capital Business
Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

This will be the fifth country after Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, and Tanzania where the first growing Pan African Company operates/FILE

Corporate

Expansion: Kenya’s little gears up for Ethiopian market 

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 28 – Little, Kenya’s leading super-app platform has finalized plans to expand services to the Ethiopian market within this month in a move aimed at stamping its authority in the continent. 

This will be the fifth country after Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, and Tanzania where the first growing Pan African Company operates. Ethiopia is a unique market with massive opportunities for growth owing to its over 112 million population.

“Ethiopia has always been on our sight. However we have always been very cautious to get in there because of the nature of business,” said Kamal Budhabhatti, Little Chief Executive Officer.

“When we saw Safaricom heading to Ethiopia, we got the courage to get there. It is a large market and we see an opportunity to extend our services there,” he added.

Under the new strategy, the company will start with Ride-hailing services in Addis Ababa, it has several corporates lined up to pick up its services. Little is hopeful that before the year ends, it would open up Food delivery and financial services in the country.

The expansion plan into one of Africa’s populous countries has been on the company’s to-do list for a long period, COVID-19 pandemic which slowed businesses across the globe since March 2020 delayed the dream.

The Company said it will start with 2,000 drivers with a focus on scaling up the number to 10,000 in three months. Little would be investing in about 5 Million USD in the next 5 years, with a provision to inject an additional 5 Million USD based on the growth projections.

Budhabhatti exuded confidence that the company will be a significant player in the new market.

“We have some great Ethiopian partners. We felt that it is a very large market, and for us to succeed there, we need to work closely with Ethiopian companies who would bring a wealth of local and cultural knowledge. We have always understood the power of localization of our products.”

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

“Having local Ethiopian partners would help us to ensure that the product is customized to meet the local needs of Ethiopians.”

Currently, Little controls Kenya’s market share in corporate clients with around 100,000 drivers on the platform.

The company has been adding products and services to its app over the past few months. Through the application, one can access the delivery services, transport, doctor services, corporate services, and the wallet which enables one to send money, buy airtime, pay bills among other functions. Little have close to a million registered customers on the platform in Kenya.

Advertisement

More on Capital Business

Africa

ACCRA, March 17 (Xinhua) — The meltdown of Internet services across Ghana, caused by the disruption of undersea cables over the past few days,...

motors

BEIJING, March 18 (Xinhua) — Global new energy passenger car sales are predicted to exceed 39 million units by 2030, said a report obtained...

Kenya

NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 18 – NCBA Group has joined forces with Proparco, a French development finance institution, to support green projects as well as...

Health

NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 18 – The Kenya National Commission of Human Rights (KNCHR) has condemned the discriminatory action by the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA)...

Tourism

NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 18 – Travel booking platform Tripitaca has rebranded to Triply, which it says signals its growth. The company says the move...

Kenya

NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 18 – The fourth edition of the regional American Chamber of Commerce Kenya (AmCham) Business Summit will be held from April 24–25,...

Kenya

NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 18 – The Microsoft Africa Development Centre (ADC) has kicked off the second up-skilling cohort to support university lecturers and empower...

Health

NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 18 – Gertrude’s Children’s Hospital has called for urgent investments from stakeholders in the fight against childhood cancer. Speaking during the...