Saloodo!: First international road freight platform in Africa

With South Africa being a wide-spread geographical country and sub-saharan Africa having 16 landlocked countries an efficient road freight network is key.

Deutsche Post DHL Group’s subsidiary startup, Saloodo! - a digital road freight platform - has entered into South Africa, being the first of its kind in the region.

The platform officially launched for the European market in Germany 2017, alongside the Netherland and Poland. Six months ago the platform was introduced into the United Arab Emirates, further developing the region’s fast emerging market that is digitally transforming under its Ghadan 21 accelerator programme.

Today Saloodo! is continuing its growth into emerging markets by launching into South Africa. Currently, the region’s road freight operations are fragmented and using traditional methods. The region could significantly benefit from the visibility, efficiency and security of technology.

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"After successfully entering the Middle East we have taken the decision to continue on our growth path by expanding to the African continent," said Thomas Grunau, CEO of Saloodo! "As the world's youngest continent with 60% of the population below 25 economic decisions and growth are increasingly driven by a dynamic generation of digitally-minded young adults. These are ideal conditions for offering and further developing our smart solution." 

"With real-time visibility, Saloodo! will inject greater transparency and efficiency to the road network in the region, enabling shippers - from small enterprises and start-ups to large multinational groups - to find trusted and reliable freight carriers in South Africa. This will in turn help carriers manage existing fleets and optimize capacity with full truckload shipments," added Tobias Maier, CEO of Saloodo! Middle East and Africa.

Did you know? Africa's road freight industry had a total market value of US$8.26bn in 2018 and continues to steadily increase.

For more information on business topics in the Middle East and Africa, please take a look at the latest edition of Business Chief MEA.

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Image source: DPDHL