General News
Bolt Reels out Post-pandemic Growth to Mark Ninth Anniversary
Bolt, Nigeria’s mobility service, has announced it has quadrupled its business globally since the start of the pandemic, recording its most successful month on record this July.
Bolt, which launched two new products since the start of the pandemic, has operations in 45 countries and over 500 cities across Europe and Africa now – an increase of over 200% in the period prior to the pandemic.
Globally, Bolt has tripled its number of customers to over 100 million since the beginning of 2020, added more than 2 million new drivers to the platform, and more than doubled the size of its workforce to over 3000 employees.
The business has also opened several new offices over the past year, including engineering hubs in Berlin and Nairobi, and continues to advertise over 350 open roles with a view to hiring 700 more employees by the end of the year.
The announcement of these new stats comes as Bolt marks its ninth anniversary since Markus Villig founded the company in Tallinn, Estonia, in 2013. Then just a teenager, Markus personally recruited the first drivers to the platform on the streets of Tallinn and has since built a business valued at €7.6bn at the time of its latest funding round.
Markus Villig, CEO and Founder said: “The pandemic was the biggest economic shock in generations, so hitting milestones like 100 million customers and operations in over 500 cities are achievements we’re really proud of.
“When Bolt was first founded, our mission was to challenge the traditional taxi industry in Tallinn through a new ride-hailing service. Now our size and the range of products we offer put us in a unique position to revolutionise how people move around the cities. By providing an alternative to private cars, we can help create cities that are greener, safer and more pleasant to live in.
“It’s important to stay grounded though – rising levels of inflation and interest rates mean we have to be disciplined when assessing how and in what markets we invest.
“This could mean prioritising growth efforts in our existing markets instead of expanding our services into new countries. Our culture of frugality helped us come out of the pandemic in a strong position, but the challenges are not going to stop, and the team is focused on preparing for and responding to them.”
Since Bolt’s launch in Lagos in 2016, it has expanded its operation into 25 states and 33 cities since the pandemic to provide seamless mobility offerings to Nigerians. In 2021, Bolt extended its Bolt Food service to Nigeria increasing its product offering in the country.
The introduction of Bolt Food in Nigeria came after the platform accessed post-pandemic realities and decided to help provide easier access to daily essentials such as food.
Oludele Dare, Country Manager, Nigeria said: “We are happy to see the post-pandemic growths that the business has experienced. When we first launched in Nigeria, our mission was to transform the ride-hailing and mobility sector.
“Scaling during the pandemic was a challenge but our focus on providing seamless mobility services to Nigerians ensured that we maintained growth. Our business in Nigeria is built on efficiency and easing mobility for riders while offering drivers a flexible opportunity to earn more income.”
General News
Nigeria Recovers $52.88m in Assets Linked to Former Petroleum Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke
Federal government has received $52.88m recovered Galactica assets linked to a former Minister of Petroleum Diezani Alison-Madueke from the USA.
The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Lateef Fagbemi disclosed this at the formal signing ceremony of the asset agreement between Nigeria and the United States of America in Abuja on Friday, January 10.
While speaking at the ceremony, Fagbemi explained that $50m of the recovered assets will be deployed through the World Bank to the development of the rural electrification project and the remaining $2m will be deployed to the International Institute of Justice to expand the Justice system and also counter corruption.
Speaking further, Fagbemi noted that the asset return marks a milestone in the ongoing collaboration between Nigeria and the United States in combating corruption and upholding the rule of law
He said the event is also a significant effort by President Bola Tinubu to address the issue of corruption.
Meanwhile, in his remarks, the United States Ambassador to Nigeria Richard Mills called for the monitoring and effectively utilizing the recovered assets by the Ministry of Justice to benefit Nigerians.
Diezani served as Minister under the Goodluck Jonathan administration.
General News
TikTok Announces Plans to Cease Operations in the U.S. by January 19, 2025
TikTok has officially announced plans to cease its operations in the United States by January 19, 2025.
“Absent such relief, the Act will take effect on January 19, 2025,” TikTok said in a Dec. 9 legal filing. “That would shut down TikTok—one of the Nation’s most popular speech platforms for its more than 170 million domestic monthly users on the eve of a presidential inauguration.”
Last year, President Joe Biden signed into law, a legislation to remove TikTok from U.S. app stores and prohibit internet providers across the nation from allowing access to the platform if ByteDance cannot sell to an American company by Jan. 19.
The legislation was put in place amid concerns of China possibly using TikTok to spy on U.S. residents.
In response, TikTok filed an emergency motion for an injunction to stop the ban from taking effect, arguing that it violates the First Amendment and will generate “substantial losses,” per legal documents.
The Supreme Court is slated to hear oral arguments on Jan. 10 over whether or not the law should be upheld.
Meanwhile, several entrepreneurs have launched a bid to purchase TikTok, including Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary.
“This isn’t just about buying TikTok’s U.S. assets,” he wrote in a Jan. 6 message on X, formerly Twitter. “It’s about something much bigger: protecting the privacy of 170 million American users.”
O’Leary continued, “It’s about empowering creators and small businesses. And it’s about building a platform that prioritizes PEOPLE over algorithms. TikTok has immense potential, not just as a tool for creators but as a driver of meaningful economic and social impact.”
However, O’Leary said he’ll likely need an assist from President-elect Donald Trump, who will be sworn into office on Jan. 20.
“Trump will be who we have to work with to close the deal in the months ahead,” he explained during a Jan. 6 appearance on Fox News’ The Story with Martha MacCallum, per The Wrap. “So, I wanted to let him know—as well as others in his cabinet—that we’re doing this, and we’re going to need their help.”
General News
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