Lionel Mobi is a holder of a Master’s degree in Supply Chain Management from the Catholic University of Saint-Jérôme de Douala and has been the country director of Gozem in Benin since June 2021. He previously worked as the head of e-commerce operations at Jumia in Cameroon and later in Ghana. As a prelude to the official debut of its activities in Cameroon, he shares the aspirations, problems, and hopes of this startup specializing in banking, transportation, and e-commerce services.
Gozem’s Driving Force
Gozem is a multifunctional application (super App) that brings together a number of diverse but connected services on a single interface, including urban people and goods transportation and e-commerce with a delivery-on-demand approach. Our application unites three critical stakeholders in a very concrete way, thanks to technology. Who are the stakeholders: drivers, also known as “champions” (motorcycles, tricycles, and cars), merchants (including restaurants, grocery stores, and supermarkets), and the end customer, who can either move or transport a package using the first stakeholder (the champions), or order a meal or an item from one of our merchants and have it delivered to their doorstep using our fleet of valiant champions.
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You understand that champions are at the heart of our business. We were able to build a third vertical, fintech, using the statistics of their operations that we have in our possession as well as our closed electronic wallet. It enables us to provide these champions with the necessary products and equipment for their operations (telephones, insurance, helmets, automobiles, and so on), as well as payment options based on a “Work and Pay” model.
What Gozem Is Doing Different In Togo, Gabon, Benin, And Cameroon
As previously said, our services are largely geared at addressing urban mobility issues: in the three countries of Togo, Gabon, Benin, and very soon in Cameroon, we currently have over 4,000 vehicles (motorcycles, tricycles, and cars) (while waiting for the Cameroon). It’s never been easier to get around than when you’re with us. All you need is a phone, place your race order, and one of our champions will arrive in within 5 minutes. The fee is low and known ahead of time (no lengthy discussion), and the champion (driver) has completed training and a background check (Know your customer). As a result, Gozem has double-checked everything and can simply escalate to him if there are any difficulties, ensuring safety.
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Next, we recommend that electronic commerce be accelerated. Indeed, there is no longer any need to explain that internet commerce will play a larger role in trade in the coming years. To participate in this expansion, Gozem brings together three fundamentals (logistics capacity, technology, and marketing). We complete this fundamental square by forming partnerships with merchants, allowing us to establish ourselves as a prominent player in this vertical. Our mission is to provide new business prospects for our merchant partners as well as a new, simple, and efficient shopping experience for our customers.
Finally, we hold our champions in high regard. Upon integration, all of our champions get training on modules such as the Highway Code, digital (usage of our app and GPS), “Customer service,” and so on. In comparison to what is done in the urban transportation environment, this allows us to create champions with actual added value. When you consider the essential necessities of being a Gozem champion, such as helmets (02), smart phones, and insurance, this increased value becomes even more apparent. As a result, we are assisting in the formalization of a sector in which the players have been left to their own devices for a long time.
We are even capable, with the data of their activity that we have, of developing a kind of “credit scoring”, which allows us to finance their equipment. This is how in Benin and Togo we have more than 1,500 champions, who were able to change their vehicles thanks to our “Work and Pay” model.
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We can even construct a kind of “credit score” system based on the data we have about their activities, allowing us to finance their equipment. As a result of our “Work and Pay” concept, we now have over 1,500 champions in Benin and Togo who have been able to upgrade their automobiles.
How To Run A Startup In A Low Internet Access Area
Indeed, the expansion of the digital economy necessitates widespread access to high-speed internet and digital media (smartphones in particular). Year after year, internet penetration rates are constantly increasing in all of the countries where we are. While we wait for these stats to improve, we’re working with telecoms companies to get our application a “zero rating.” When you use one of our services, your internet package is essentially not consumed. Other, even more complex technology initiatives are now being developed to overcome this barrier to internet accessibility.
See Infrastructure Deficit As An Opportunity Rather Than A Problem
The state of the roads mostly raises operational expenses and makes transportation more difficult. If there are bad roads, we have no control over them, and this is undoubtedly a detriment to our business, but we see it from a different perspective. From this perspective, our solutions are even more relevant, given that they minimize our champions’ operational expenses by acting on other aspects such as access to consumers without having to run all over town, or even access to finance options to equip yourself. With our pick-up at the bottom of the door, our lowered and transparently defined costs, and the relative comfort of our transportation solutions, we also lessen the drudgery of mobility for our clients.
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Finally, we employ a digital addressing system, specifically the usage of GPS coordinates. We’ve also added features like “Landmarks,” which lists thousands of well-known locations on a digital map for each city. These two tools help us to avoid dealing with the great majority of issues we come across.
Digital Professions Are No Different From Their Traditional Counterparts
You must recognize that, aside from technical (web development, etc.) and specialized (digital marketing) fields, digital professions are not wholly distinct from their equivalents in more traditional fields. A salesperson in the field of mass distribution, for example, may easily become a salesperson at Gozem Food. All you have to do now is learn some digital “Soft Skills.” As a result, I believe that rather than dedicated training courses, training modules concentrating on this expanding new economy should be developed in order to broaden the spectrum of skills and prospects for new graduates.
I’ve been working in this sector for seven years. I am fortunate to hold reasonably prominent roles with big players on the continent, and I believe that passion and a drive to learn are the most crucial success aspects in our sector. The issues in our environments are vast, and digital solutions are fresh. Each obstacle is an opportunity to learn; you’ll need committed “doers” who are fascinated with harmonizing the technological answer with the challenges on the ground. We will quit if we don’t like this job and aren’t willing to always go the extra mile when challenges arise. Because there are so many obstacles to overcome.
Traditional Taxis Don’t Always Have To Be Competitors
No, not at all! We are not competitors. On the contrary, we support these actors. They are at the center of the project and not at the periphery. If you read Gozem’s 10 Values, you’ll see three that emphasize the importance of the champion within Gozem. It’s true that novelty is always scary. But, with us, it will be for the best. We are working to reduce operational costs and to promote these players in urban transport. Our goal is to revolutionize and modernize the field of urban transport in Africa, and that will be done with the current players.
Gozem mobility Gozem mobility .Gozem mobility .Gozem mobility .Gozem mobility
Charles Rapulu Udoh
Charles Rapulu Udoh is a Lagos-based lawyer who has advised startups across Africa on issues such as startup funding (Venture Capital, Debt financing, private equity, angel investing etc), taxation, strategies, etc. He also has special focus on the protection of business or brands’ intellectual property rights ( such as trademark, patent or design) across Africa and other foreign jurisdictions.
He is well versed on issues of ESG (sustainability), media and entertainment law, corporate finance and governance.
He is also an award-winning writer