Nigeria’s Hello Tractor, Kenya’s BuuPass win $15k each in Bosch Africa Smart Mobility prize

Nigeria’s Hello Tractor and Kenya’s BuuPass have each won $15 000 and three month’s acceleration in Bosch Africa’s Smart Mobility competition.

The two startups were among the 222 teams from 27 countries that submitted applications for the competition which was launched in August.

Hello Tractor and BuuPass were named winners from among 11 finalists from seven countries at an event held on 5 November in Johannesburg.

The Bosch Africa Smart Mobility competition winners were selected from among 11 finalists from seven countries

The other startups that pitched at the event were Bonang.ai, Bwala, Dronamics, Hovo, Mobility, Moja Ride, Motolix, Naviafleet and ParkCrowdy.

Hello Tractor is a digital platform and a farm equipment sharing application that connects tractor owners and smallholding farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The Abuja-based agritech startup facilitates convenient and affordable tractor services to farmers who lack resources while providing additional income by turning tractor’s into smart tractors.

For smart tractor owners, Hello Tractor’s platform provides remote tracking of assets and prevents fraud as well as machine misuse through virtual smart tractor monitoring. The startup was founded in 2014 by Jehiel Oliver.

Nairobi-based BuuPass, which was founded in 2015 by Wyclife Omondi and Sonia Kabra, has developed a bus-ticketing marketplace for mass ground transit commuters in East Africa.

Bosch Mobility Solutions vice president for sales in Africa Yves Nono pointed out in an earlier statement that the continent currently faces significant issues around mobility.

Nono added that with a growing population, these issues will only be exacerbated.

“Now is the time, we need to find smart mobility solutions for the future Africa,” added Nono.

Featured image, left to right: Bosch Africa president Markus Thill, Hello Tractor’s Ambima Munza and Jehiel Oliver, Bosch Africa executive vice president and chief digital officer mobility solutions Bernd Heinrichs, BuuPass’s Wyclife Omandi and Sonia Kabra, and Bosch Mobility Solutions vice president for sales in Africa Yves Nono (Supplied)