Opinion: Nigeria Sets The Bar High For Promoting Ridesharing In Africa
At the start of the last century, just one in seven people worldwide lived in cities. Today it’s half, and by 2050, the UN predicts another 2.5 billion people will be living in urban areas. This has brought huge benefits, with the growth of cities linked directly to economic growth, as well as improved health and education. Nowhere is this more apparent than across Africa, but it has also often come at the cost of creaking infrastructure, especially when it comes to transportation.
In response to this challenge we have seen governments across the world — from Mexico City to Sydney — embrace ridesharing. We are thrilled that Nigeria is now the first country in Africa to make a significant step forward towards building ridesharing into their transportation policies.
Honourable Obinna Chidoka, a member of the Federal House of Representatives and the Chairman of the Committee on Environment and Habitat, recently started an important conversation for Nigeria’s future in the Federal House of Representatives, looking ahead to how technology can enable safe and reliable rides and limit the negative effects of traffic congestion, a subject Chidoka is very passionate about. This culminated in a unanimous vote by the Nigerian House in favour of a resolution supporting ridesharing.
William Muzi