A March 2021 CIO feature profiled seven African e-logistics start-ups: Lori Systems, Sendy, Kobo360, Truckr, Kamtar, Amitruck and Yobante Express. Their services used digital platforms to connect freight or parcel customers with transport capacity, arrange deliveries and, in some cases, track shipments or support payments. The list is a historical snapshot—not a current ranking or proof of continent-wide impact.
What e-logistics means in this context
Freight transport depends on matching a suitable truck and driver with an available load. Digital logistics platforms aim to make that coordination easier by connecting shippers or cargo owners with transport providers, facilitating bookings and making shipment information easier to access. Courier platforms apply a related model to parcels, sometimes bringing existing local delivery providers into one network.
The seven companies in the CIO feature did not all offer the same service. Some focused on truck haulage; others described broader delivery or parcel networks. Their common thread was using digital tools to coordinate transportation, not a single business model or a uniform level of service. The World Bank identifies the driver-and-truck-to-load matching challenge and names Lori Systems and Kobo360 as examples of technology-enabled approaches: World Bank document.
The seven companies in the March 2021 feature
The descriptions and founding dates below are those reported by Vincent Matinde’s CIO article, published March 22, 2021. They describe activity at that time and should not be read as confirmation that every service, feature or country presence continues today: CIO: “These 7 e-logistics start-ups are transforming African supply chains”.
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Lori Systems
CIO described Kenya-based Lori Systems, founded in 2016, as an app-based, on-demand trucking platform connecting truck owners or drivers with merchants that needed goods moved. The article said it operated in East Africa and Nigeria at the time. Lori’s current public site describes matching cargo owners with transporters and arranging full truck loads across Africa, but that broad description does not verify the 2021 country footprint or historical metrics: Lori Systems.
Sendy
Kenya-based Sendy was described as founded in 2014. According to CIO, it delivered goods of different sizes through web and mobile platforms, starting with motorbike deliveries and later handling truck deliveries. That is a dated account; current operations and coverage are not established here.
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Kobo360
Nigeria-based Kobo360 was described as founded in 2017. CIO said its platform matched truckers and cargo owners, tracked cargo pickup and drop-off, and offered KoPay working finance for drivers. The International Finance Corporation (IFC) also described Kobo360 as a digital logistics platform connecting customers and truck drivers. These sources establish historical descriptions, not the current availability of each feature: IFC, E-Conomy Africa 2020.
Truckr
Ghana-based Truckr was described as founded in 2018. CIO said businesses could book haulage trucks online and track goods. IFC’s 2020 report recorded Truckr serving more than 250 businesses with approximately 18,000 trucks. Those are historical figures reported by IFC, not a current customer count or fleet size.
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Kamtar
CIO described Kamtar as founded in 2018 and based in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. Its web platform connected verified drivers and trucks with cargo owners. The sources do not establish the company’s current operating status, reach or service availability.
Amitruck
Nairobi-based Amitruck was described as founded in 2018. CIO reported that it used mobile and web logistics tools, data and IoT tracking, and financing for truck owners. The article also reported 300% business growth in 2020; this is a claim attributed to that 2021 article, not a current growth rate or an independently verified measure.
Yobante Express
Dakar-based Yobante Express was described as founded in 2018. CIO said its mobile and web platforms onboarded third-party courier entities to deliver parcels. Its present status and geographic coverage are not established by the sources cited here.
What the historical figures do—and do not—show
Some figures offer context for the sector, but their dates and attribution matter. They are not comparable current measures of company size or performance.
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- Potential logistics savings: IFC reported Kobo360 CEO Obi Ozor’s estimate of about 7% in logistics-cost savings for platform users. This was an executive estimate, not an independent evaluation or a current average: IFC, “Africa’s E-Logistics Companies”.
- Sector investment: IFC reported that, as of November 2020, it had invested over US$82 million in early-stage equity in the global e-logistics sector. That historical figure is neither Africa-only nor a current investment total: IFC, “Africa’s E-Logistics Companies”.
CIO also reported several company-specific historical counts and financing claims: approximately US$30 million raised by Lori Systems in 2019, which the article said the company did not confirm; over US$20 million in Sendy investment in 2020; more than 10,000 truckers on Kobo360’s platform; over 3,000 trucks registered with Kamtar; and, for Yobante Express, more than 300 courier agents and over 100 businesses enrolled in under two years. These are claims in the March 2021 article, not current, independently verified company metrics: CIO feature.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why digital freight platforms drew attention
When cargo owners and transport providers can find one another more efficiently, digital coordination may help address a basic logistics problem: locating suitable capacity for a load and keeping the parties informed as it moves. Booking tools, shipment visibility and payment or financing features can address different parts of that process. The seven profiles show examples of those approaches, but the sources do not establish a measured, shared outcome across all the companies.
IFC’s 2020 reporting placed e-logistics in the context of pandemic-era disruption and regional trade. It also quoted Vera Songwe, then Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, on the role of these companies in AfCFTA: “African e-logistics companies play a key role in AfCFTA by ‘reducing transport costs and delays, and improving the quality of service along transport corridors,’” IFC, “Africa’s E-Logistics Companies”. This describes the sector’s intended contribution; it is not proof that each company achieved those results.
How to read the list today
The CIO article is useful as a snapshot of the businesses and service models attracting attention in 2021. It is not a current market map: the sources do not establish present-day status, coverage, ownership, fleet sizes or customer counts for all seven. Lori Systems’ public site provides a broad present-day description of its service, but that alone cannot confirm the other companies’ current operations or support a ranking among them.
For a business evaluating a logistics provider, the relevant questions would be whether it currently serves the route and cargo type needed, how it handles booking and shipment visibility, and what payment or support arrangements apply. The historical profiles do not answer those company-specific questions.
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