Over fifty years old, Ludovic Ouattara is now a serial entrepreneur. After years of doing business in Belgium, he returned to his country in 2012 where he launched several companies, taking up concepts developed in Europe, and adapting them to the local landscape. Among them, Djoba, a solution for transfer, not of money, but of service. Since the end of October Autolibrewas launched: A citizen startup that offers carpooling and electric vehicle rental services.
By DBM
Recently, in Abidjan, bikes, motorcycles and cars, and green transportation have appeared on the surface in terms of energy consumption and mode of use as well. “It’s an alternative urban transport. Carpools, car-sharing, and regular rentals, « said Ludovic Ouattara, founder of Autolibre.
Ludovic Ouattara, an over fifty-years-old man, is a serial entrepreneur. After years of doing business in Belgium, he returned to his country in 2012, responding to the call of « ADO », also being eager to bring his contribution to the reconstruction of the Ivory Coast. Therefore, he launched several entrepreneurial projects, taking up concepts developed in Europe, and adapting them to the local landscape he got in hand.
Among these concepts; Djoba, a transfer solution, not of money, but of service (medical care ticket, payment of school supplies, purchase of basic necessities, etc.). This was a respond to a request from the African diaspora around the world. « Djobais a new mobile web application. A new concept breaking with what we know, said Ludovic. Until now, we sent money to parents, who often stopped along the way.
WithDjoba, if you have a family member who has a health concern, send him or her a ticket that will allows them to get treatment in one of the clinics in our network. Currently, 1200 clinics have signed a partnership with us in Ivory Coast. If you have your ticket, you can go to the clinic of your choice; you will be taken care of immediately because the clinic receives the ticket at the same time as you. If you have a balance in the ticket, you can go to a network pharmacy to collect the prescribed drugs that you have. All the pharmacies in Ivory Coast are included in our network. Likewise, we have signed with the largest supermarket in the country so that the diaspora can send food vouchers, including cities in the most remote villages. The only ban is the purchase of alcohol and tobacco. “Moreover, « It is an innovative solution since it is based on block-chain and cryptocurrency. » It is now operational in Ivory Coast, and similarly the same concept will be extended to other countries in the region.
In the meantime, and since the end of October, Ludovic has embarked on another adventure, with the same concern of meeting a need. Autolibre. A citizen startup as well, offers carpooling and rental services for hybrid cars, electric motorcycles and bicycles. This startup objective is to respond to the climate challenge and to propose alternatives to the challenge of mobility in Ivory Coast.
« Alternative means of transport in Ivorian way »
« There is a mobility problem in Ivory Coast specifically for people who work in the first place, » said Ludovic. They have long distances to travel to get to their work, because there are more and more of them, with the increase in rents in Abidjan, they are living in the outskirts in Bassam, Bingerville, and others. Therefore, they often have to change vehicles 3 to 4 times before reaching their jobs. And because of that, they have to get up very early: 4 am, to be able to cope and to arrive on time to their jobs. For this problem, he proposes a very simple solution. “We imagined other means of transportation in the Ivorian way. In other words, responding to the habits and customs in the country. « You download the application, on the platform, you choose the vehicle, and the place where the vehicle will pick you up, near work or home, and you rent it at a modest price. Thanks to a partnership with Shell, cars can be picked up at one of the group’s stations where hostesses verify your identity before handing you the keys. « The best, Ludovic recommends, is to rent 4 or 5 to pay less. And in return, everyone keeps it on weekends to enjoy it with family.» It is possible to rent it with friends for a weekend, and with colleagues. Also the system adapts to be used with the possibility of renting the vehicle per day, per week, per month, or even per year. “Above all, these are hybrid vehicles, which pollute less. It is a concept with a real socio-economic impact. A regular subscription is also offered to companies that want to offer this service to its employees and to make sure they get to work on time.
“First, we want to work at the local market, and then to go beyond it, in the sub-region, where we are faced with the same problem »
The same principle exists with motorcycles and bicycles, electrics. “Bikes are available in Abidjan, but for motorcycles and cars, we first imported them from the United States to be able to put twenty cars, thirty bikes and motorcycles on the market. But later we plan to build a factory to manufacture them on site.
« In order that the service could be launched in Abidjan at the end of October, and got its customers, and in order to guarantee it, Ludovic, who sees himself as a citizen entrepreneur, has thought of all the little details. « For example, to attract female users who might not dare to ride a motorcycle, we thought of three-wheeled vehicles for them. Added to that, they also featured a safety policy to meet the needs of businesses and deliveries: which consists of a partnership that has also been concluded with a local insurer, Comar, therefore, vehicles that are rented are insured.
