Togo’s transport ministry has suspended the activities of ride-hailing app, Yango in the country over security concerns just months after it began operations. Yango is owned by Russian tech company, Yandex.
According to a statement by the ministry, yesterday, the decision was taken over concerns for the safety of passengers, order and legal procedures. The statement also claimed that Yango began operating in the country in June without authorization and in violation of the country’s procedures.
“The activities of the operator YANGO are therefore suspended across the entire national territory,” the statement said.
Yango provides ride-hailing services across 20+ countries in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America through its super-app. Its ride-hailing business model is focused on empowering entrepreneurs and strengthening local partners’ development across the continent. This way, the company expects a 30 per cent growth rate in 2024.
In Africa, Yango initially launched its ride-hailing services in Africa from the Ivory Coast in 2018 and is now present in Algeria, Angola, Cameroon, DRC, Ghana, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, the Republic of Congo, Senegal, Zambia and Ethiopia.
Alongside ride-hailing, the Russian company has a diverse portfolio of businesses globally. These include Maps, Navigator, Yango devices (Yasmina), media services (Play), cloud storage (Photo), fintech (Pay), Education, on-demand item delivery and food delivery and e-commerce etc.
For example, under the leadership of Nikita Gavrilov, Regional Head of Autonomous Delivery Solutions, the company is pioneering innovative solutions that promise to revolutionise the delivery process across the Middle East.
The last-mile delivery market in the Middle East is on a trajectory to reach $100 billion by 2025, growing at a CAGR of 15 per cent from 2020. The increasing demand for efficient and timely delivery services spurs this growth.
Yango’s autonomous delivery robots are set to meet this demand by minimising delivery times and reducing reliance on human couriers. These robots are designed to operate under extreme weather conditions, a significant advantage in a region known for its high temperatures.
Today, over a million drivers and delivery service providers use the Yango platform globally. The company recently claimed that rides on its platform more than doubled year on year in 2023 and that more than a quarter billion journeys have been taken using Yango in Africa since inception.
The ride-hailing company is yet to respond to the announcement.
Read also: Uber, Bolt, Yango drivers in Ghana to pay Value Income Tax from January 1, 2024
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