Uber has begun operations in the ancient city of Benin, Edo State. This is the third city after Lagos and Abuja.
It is clearly lagging behind its competitor Bolt (Taxify) who already operates in Benin City and six other cities in Nigeria
The official launch in Benin was on the back of the unveiling of the Uber Greenlight Hub in the city. The kick-off was done by Her Excellency, the First Lady of Edo State; Betsy Obaseki.
According to Her Excellency, Mrs Obaseki representing His Excellency the Governor of Edo State, Mr Godwin Obaseki in a press parley, “Uber launching in Benin is one more proof that Edo State is making great strides to its next level of its economic transformation. Over the past 2 and a half years of this administration, we as government have made deliberate and concerted efforts to make Edo State conducive and attractive to businesses, investors and people from all walks of life.”
“I am delighted with the work done by Uber to bring development into the state, which will further encourage self-reliance and self-dependence for the people of Edo State.” she added.
In response, the General Manager West Africa at Uber, Lola Kassim said; ”We are happy to be launching the UberX product in Benin City, Edo State today. We collaborated closely with the Government of Edo State on the launch because of a shared vision to promote innovation and create business and economic opportunities in the cities where we operate. As we reiterate Uber’s commitment to expansion within the African continent, it’s important to us to work closely with policy and regulators to unlock new markets.”
Ukinebo Dare, Head Edo State Skills Development Agency had this to say; “The Government of Edo State says welcome to Uber. We are also quite happy that Uber has chosen to be located at the Edo Innovation Hub, because we realize how important it is for our youth who are being trained here to be exposed to the power of technology and disruptive business models.”
