As anyone who has visited either Kampala or Nairobi in East Africa in the recent past can tell, commuting especially during rush hours from one suburb to another within these Cities can sometimes be a nightmare. At peak time during weekdays, you find unbelievable congestion where vehicles, motorcycles and pedestrians are dangerously competing for space in narrow roads.
City Authorities who are responsible for planning are unable to cope with rapid population growth and high rural-urban migration especially of young people. These city authorities are always short of finances to construct new roads, to improve drainage and to install street lights. As we all know street lights are very necessary for security. These conditions have inevitably fueled the rise in urban crimes, insecurity and even violence.
Because of these reasons above, most city residents in East Africa nowadays prefer to be served near where they reside or near their places of work.
I have a feeling that foreign experienced companies can make very good money in East African Cities if they can come and establish organized and high standards mobile services like those in Europe. These are a few examples of mobile services which in my view are needed in East Africa:
1. Van/Truck Delivery Service
This would involve transporting goods and packages for businesses and homes within cities and the whole country. A well organized and managed company can reap high benefits in East Africa by offering same day or scheduled delivery services for a variety of items including retail products , household furniture and large parcels.
2. Mobile Auto Repair
Like in Europe where this service is common, there is a lot of money to be made in East Africa if one creates a mobile auto repair services company. It would necessitate importing a fleet of well-equipped and branded service vans which can be used by well-trained mechanics to respond quickly to emergencies and also to perform repairs at locations preferred by vehicle owners. With good promotion, this service would attract a lot of interest from companies which own large fleets of vehicles and from individuals.
3. Mobile Car Wash
Customers especially those driving expensive luxury cars may pay more for a car wash that comes to them. They prefer a personalized service because of various risks associated with driving a luxurious car to public car washes. Also Mobile Fleet Washing Services such as those I see in UK can make good money in East Africa. With good promotion, they can be contracted by large fleet owners.
4. Mobile Food Trucks
A lot of serious companies in East Africa sponsor lunches for their staff. It is possible to get multiple cooked food supply contracts in companies if one is able to always serve clients with good hygienic hot food on time. This would necessitate importing a fleet of mobile food trucks which are well-equipped with all the necessary tools.
5. Mobile Billboard Services
Advertisements make good money especially if one has mobile trucks which can keep changing locations and park near strategic busy road junctions.
6. Mobile Compositing Service
In East African Cities, most of the waste is organic. A mobile compositing service company can have a fleet of equipped vehicles which can collect organic waste from restaurants and businesses and process it into nutrient rich composite. This finished composite can be sold to farmers.
7. Mobile Phones/Laptops Repair Services
By travelling to customers with all the necessary tools and parts in a van, a mobile mechanic can offer quick, safe and convenient hardware and software solutions to clients saving them the risk of travelling downtown where risks of being robbed are high.
The above are only a few examples out of many. If there are foreign companies interested in providing any type of mobile services in East Africa, please get in touch with Crested Crane Connections, we can help you get established.
