In Africa, logistics isn’t just a back-end function—it’s a bottleneck to growth. With supply chains stretched thin, roads congested, ports under strain, and freight rates among the highest in the world, the cost of moving goods can cripple entire industries.
Kobo360, a Nigerian-born logistics tech startup, set out to solve this problem at its root. By digitizing freight operations and building a continent-wide platform that connects cargo owners with truckers, Kobo360 is helping to unlock Africa’s intra-regional trade—one delivery at a time.
What began as a matchmaking app has become a data-driven logistics network, giving manufacturers, SMEs, and multinational firms real-time control over how goods move across borders.
Name: Kobo360
Founded: 2017
Headquarters: Lagos, Nigeria
Other Hubs: Kenya, Ghana, Togo, Côte d’Ivoire, Uganda
Model: Freight marketplace + logistics orchestration platform
Core Offering: On-demand trucking, route optimization, carrier financing, warehousing
Fleet Size: 50,000+ registered trucks
Clients: Dangote, Unilever, Olam, Maersk, Diageo
Funding Raised: $60M+ (Goldman Sachs, TLcom, IFC, Y Combinator, Asia Africa Investment & Consulting)
Africa’s logistics landscape is paradoxical: demand is rising, but capacity remains informal, untracked, and inefficient. Truckers struggle to find consistent loads. Shippers lack visibility. Delays are costly. Corruption persists.
Kobo360 built its model around solving this friction. Its digital platform allows cargo owners to book vetted carriers in minutes, track shipments in real time, and access analytics that reduce waste and optimize delivery times.
At the same time, Kobo360 gives truck drivers access to digital tools, pre-financing, insurance, and routing intelligence—turning a once-informal trucking sector into a semi-formal economic engine.
Logistics-as-a-Service
Kobo360 doesn’t own trucks. Instead, it operates as a logistics orchestrator—a technology layer that brings order to chaos. Through its “KoboSAFE” and “KoboCare” features, it offers:
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Real-time GPS tracking and route visibility
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Predictive ETAs and incident alerts
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Freight insurance and payment guarantees
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Access to fuel discounts, tires, and truck maintenance services
This end-to-end visibility allows clients—from agribusinesses to port operators—to manage their entire supply chain through one dashboard, reducing reliance on manual brokers and opaque networks.
Expansion with Intent
Kobo360 has strategically expanded along major trade corridors: Lagos to Accra, Nairobi to Kampala, Abidjan to Ouagadougou. Each corridor is mapped digitally, with multilingual customer service, border-crossing support, and regulatory integration built in.
By partnering with national customs authorities, port authorities, and development banks, the company is aligning itself with Africa’s broader infrastructure goals—including those of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Its recent launch of “Kobo Finance” also opens the door to embedded fintech, offering working capital to truckers and logistics SMEs who were previously locked out of credit markets.
What the Industry Can Learn
Kobo360’s model offers key lessons for logistics innovators, trade policymakers, and investors:
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Aggregation builds trust. A fragmented market can be organized—if you start with verified networks and real-time data.
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Tech should simplify, not reinvent. Kobo360 plugs into how drivers already operate, but enhances it with digital control.
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Fintech can drive fleet growth. Driver financing and insurance unlock latent capacity.
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Interoperability is essential. Logistics networks must cross both physical and digital borders.
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Local knowledge beats global models. Kobo360’s success lies in its understanding of African roads, customs, and informal systems.
The Road Ahead
Kobo360 is now developing its own AI-powered supply chain visibility engine, integrating warehouse management and inventory systems with delivery scheduling. It is also testing cross-border trade solutions for perishable goods, where timing and temperature matter most.
As infrastructure improves and trade volumes rise, the company is well-positioned to become a logistics operating system for the continent—connecting goods, roads, capital, and data.
In a world where Africa’s growth depends on moving more, faster, and cheaper, Kobo360 is building the rails—not of steel, but of software
About the Author
Aurel Kinimbaga is a contributor specializing in innovation, inclusive growth, and business strategy across African markets. He writes regularly on entrepreneurship, digital infrastructure, and the economic forces shaping the continent’s future.
