For 12 years, Uber established itself in Nigeria on the promise that through its smartphone application, it would link up passengers seeking transportation with drivers offering their services. This came to an end on September 2, 2026, when Uber exited operations in both Nigeria and Uganda. This was after it had exited operations in Côte d’Ivoire in September 2025 and in Tanzania in January 2026. Four countries in just two years should make one ask questions regarding Uber’s strategy in Africa.

But Uber has not described the moves as a withdrawal from Africa. In announcing the Nigeria and Uganda exits, the company said they followed a “thorough review” of its business priorities and investment focus across the continent. It also said the decision was limited to the two countries and did not affect its operations elsewhere in Africa.

Uber said it remained committed to sub-Saharan Africa and continued to see growth and long-term opportunities in the region. The company has not publicly given a country-specific explanation for why Nigeria and Uganda were selected, nor has it said that fuel prices, driver earnings, competition or regulation individually caused the withdrawals. Those factors nevertheless matter when examining the markets it has left.

The problem therefore, is not only to identify reasons for Uber leaving Africa, but to define features that make some of its markets different from the others.

A Retreat in Phases

Uber’s African exits have not happened in at once across Africa.

In Côte d’Ivoire, the company ended its operations in Abidjan on September 25, 2025, after launching there in 2019. Reports at the time did not contain a detailed explanation from Uber for the decision.

The services offered by Uber ceased on January 30, 2026. The firm had been operating in Cote d’Ivoire since 2016. The firm publicly announced the withdrawal itself but not the reasons for it. Subsequent exits from Nigeria and Uganda, which became effective on September 2, 2026. In Nigeria, Uber started operating from 2014 in the city of Lagos and gradually expanded its services to other cities. It is evident that these exits follow a pattern, although the four nations are different. Of the four nations, Nigeria is undoubtedly the biggest nation with the largest population and biggest economy, and has a significant urban ride-hailing market.

A 2024 Sagaci Research survey of more than 35,000 respondents across 28 African countries found that Bolt was the most-used ride-hailing platform in Nigeria, with 58 percent of surveyed ride-hailing users reporting use of the service in the previous 12 months, compared with 34 percent for Uber.

In Tanzania, the corresponding figures were 60 percent for Bolt and 22 percent for Uber. The same research showed Uber at 22 percent, while later reporting based on Sagaci Research data identified SafeBoda as the market leader ahead of Uber and Bolt.

Sagaci’s 2024 research identified Yango as the market leader in Kampala, Uganda, while the company has also faced competition from other platforms including inDrive and Heetch. The four exits therefore share an increasingly competitive environment, but the competitive structure is different in each market. 

Nigeria: A Large Market with Rising Operating Pressure

Nigeria presents the clearest example of the tension between market size and operating economics.

The country has a large urban population and substantial demand for app-based transport. A 2024 industry estimate cited by BusinessDay put Nigeria’s ride-hailing market at about $252.7 million, with expectations of continued growth.

But demand does not automatically translate into attractive economics for drivers or platforms.

Since the removal of the subsidy on petrol in 2023, there have been fluctuations in the prices of fuel as well. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the average price of petrol per litre in April 2026 was N1,532.93, compared to N1,288.54 in March. It rose again to N1,596 per litre in May.

Drivers also faced rising costs for vehicle maintenance, tyres, insurance and financing. Those pressures became visible in March 2026, when drivers operating on Uber, Bolt, inDrive and LagRide platforms in Lagos began a three-day strike. The Amalgamated Union of App-Based Transporters of Nigeria said drivers were protesting poor working conditions, low fares and rising operating costs, including fuel and vehicle maintenance. That does not establish that these pressures caused Uber to leave Nigeria. 

However, they do show the commercial context within which the company made its decision. As revealed by Sagaci’s 2024 study, Bolt had a significantly higher percentage of reported brand usage among Nigerians using ride-hailing services compared to Uber.

At the same time, Bolt also led Uber in Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, and Tanzania, while Uber was the leader in Egypt. Being an online platform that operates in a market where the customer compares prices offered through different platforms and drivers may use different platforms, keeping up the volume and supply is important.

Thus, for instance, at present, Bolt reports a 20 percent commission for drivers in Nigeria. It reports the same 20 percent commission in Ghana and an 18 percent commission in Kenya. However, one cannot directly compare it with Uber, as Uber’s commission policy depends on the market and product.

Uganda: Strong Demand but a Crowded Market

Uganda provides a different version of the same problem.

The country’s ride-hailing demand has grown, particularly in Kampala. Sagaci Research estimated that 36 percent of Kampala respondents had used ride-hailing services in 2024. A later report by Uganda’s Daily Monitor, also citing Sagaci, put Uganda’s penetration behind Kenya’s 46 percent but ahead of Tanzania’s 34 percent.

But the market has several established players.

In SafeBoda’s case, the organization that started as a motorcycle ride-hailing company has evolved into a car service through SafeCar, and has been recognized as a market leader, surpassing even Uber and Bolt. There is competition among Faras and others.

That means Uber was not leaving a market where app-based transport had failed to attract customers. It was leaving a market where customers were already using several competing platforms.

According to the Daily Monitor, Uganda had about 18 million smartphone users out of a total population of 50 million, based on data from the Uganda Communications Commission.

The combination of a rise in the ride-hailing culture and a reduced digital addressable market makes it a totally different business environment compared to that of a much bigger market like Nigeria or Egypt.

However, these are features of the market and not official explanations provided by Uber for exiting.

Tanzania and Côte d’Ivoire: Different Markets, Same Outcome

Uber terminated its services in Tanzania on January 30, 2026, nearly a decade since starting its business there. There was no clear explanation from the company as to why they exited.

The market was also highly competitive. Sagaci Research’s 2024 data showed Bolt with 60 percent reported usage among surveyed ride-hailing users, compared with 22 percent for Uber.

In Côte d’Ivoire, the competitive picture was different again.

Yango was the leading ride-hailing brand in Sagaci Research’s 2024 survey, while the market also had players such as inDrive and Heetch. Uber had entered the market in 2019 but ended its operations in September 2025.

The common factor across these markets is therefore not one clearly documented cause for Uber’s departure.

Instead, the evidence shows four markets with different combinations of competition, market size, consumer demand, regulation and operating conditions.

Uber has not said which of these factors, if any, determined its decisions in each country.

What Happens to the Economics of a Ride?

The basic economics of ride-hailing are relatively straightforward.

The passenger wants a fare that is affordable enough to justify using the service. The driver needs the fare to cover fuel, maintenance, financing, insurance, depreciation and other costs while leaving an income. The platform needs sufficient trips and revenue to cover its own operating expenses. The difficulty is that these requirements can pull in different directions.

Higher fares can improve the economics of an individual trip for a driver, but they can also make the service less attractive to passengers.

Fares that are cheaper may be beneficial for demand but will lower the amount remaining for drivers once costs of running have been subtracted from the total amount. The platforms themselves may use bonuses or lower their commissions to keep drivers working for them; however, they might affect their own bottom line with such decisions.

The drivers claimed that the fares on platforms were not sufficient anymore in view of increased prices for fuel, maintenance, and general expenses of living.

The 2024 Sagaci survey provides some indication of how intense that competition had become before Uber’s latest exits. Bolt led reported usage in Nigeria, Tanzania, Kenya, Ghana and South Africa, while Uber led in Egypt and remained among the top three in eight African countries covered by the research.

The data does not measure total trips, revenue or profitability, so it cannot establish which platform was financially strongest in each country.

It does show that Uber’s position varied considerably from one market to another.

The Markets Uber Has Retained

Uber still operates in countries including Kenya, Ghana, Egypt and South Africa. The company has not publicly said that these markets are more profitable than Nigeria, Uganda, Tanzania or Côte d’Ivoire.

There is, however, evidence of stronger ride-hailing adoption in several of them.

Sagaci Research’s 2024 survey found that 51 percent of respondents in South Africa, 46 percent in Kenya and 42 percent in Ghana had recently used a ride-hailing app. These were among the highest adoption levels recorded in the 28-country survey.

Egypt presented another distinct case. Uber was the leading platform in Sagaci’s 2024 data, with 46 percent of respondents who used ride-hailing apps reporting use of Uber.

The size and density of the urban markets also matter.

Kenya’s ride-hailing market is heavily concentrated around Nairobi and other major urban centres, while Ghana’s demand is particularly strong in Accra. Egypt offers a very large metropolitan market around Cairo as well as other cities. South Africa has several major urban centres and a comparatively developed digital and financial infrastructure.

These are not proof that Uber makes more money in those countries.

They do provide measurable differences in demand and market structure that help explain why the company’s continuing presence cannot simply be treated as accidental. Uber, for instance, has been drawn to Egypt along with other companies like Careem, inDrive, DiDi, and Bolt, making a competitive market while providing a huge number of urban users.

Market research in 2025 predicted that the Egyptian ride-hailing market would be worth around $1.84 billion in 2024 with future potential up to 2030. In September 2025, the South African government introduced the amendments for the formal recognition of e-hailing services as an independent form of public transportation.

The framework makes it mandatory for e-hailing services and platforms to be licensed, registered, and follow certain safety criteria. Thus, regulation does not always lead to the withdrawal of an operator from the market. It can also bring about a regulatory framework that can help operators in continuing their operations.

Uber’s Global Restructuring

The timing of the African exits has also drawn attention to Uber’s wider corporate restructuring.

On September 2, the same day the Nigeria and Uganda withdrawals took effect, Uber announced that it was removing layers of management, simplifying team structures and refining its global location strategy. The company said the changes would reduce its workforce by about 10 percent.

Uber’s second-quarter results also showed that the company was continuing to grow globally.

For the quarter ended June 30, 2026, gross bookings reached $58 billion, up 24 percent year-on-year, or 22 percent on a constant-currency basis. Trips increased 18 percent to 3.9 billion, while revenue rose 12 percent to $14.2 billion. Adjusted EBITDA increased 33 percent to $2.8 billion, and Uber said trailing 12-month free cash flow had exceeded $10 billion for the first time.

These figures do not support the idea that Uber is shrinking because its global business is collapsing.

They show a company that is growing while simultaneously reconsidering where it deploys people and investment.

But there is an important limitation.

Uber has not said that its global restructuring caused the exits from Nigeria and Uganda.

The company described the African decisions as part of a review of business priorities and investment focus. Its restructuring announcement discussed organisational simplification and investment priorities, but did not specifically connect the workforce reduction to the African market exits.

The two developments occurred at the same time.

Whether they were directly connected is not established by the company’s public statements.

What the Four Exits Have in Common

Taken together, the four exits show some common features, but not one single explanation. In all four markets, Uber faced competition from other ride-hailing companies.

In Nigeria and Tanzania, Sagaci’s 2024 data showed Bolt with substantially higher reported usage than Uber. In Uganda, SafeBoda was identified as a leading platform, while in Côte d’Ivoire Yango occupied a leading position.

The markets also presented different cost and regulatory conditions.

Nigeria experienced substantial fuel-price and inflation pressures, while Nigerian drivers publicly protested over fares and operating costs in March 2026.

Uganda had a smaller digital market with strong competition from local and international platforms.

Tanzania had its own regulatory and competitive environment, with Bolt holding a stronger reported position than Uber in the 2024 survey.

Côte d’Ivoire had a particularly strong position for Yango, which Sagaci identified as the market leader.

What cannot be established from the available public evidence is that any one of these factors caused Uber’s decision in each country.

Uber’s official explanation remains a review of business priorities and investment focus.

A Selective African Strategy?

The evidence leaves two possible ways of describing Uber’s current position in Africa. One is a retreat: the company has left four countries in less than two years and has consequently reduced its geographic footprint.

The other is a more selective strategy: Uber is retaining markets where it continues to have significant user adoption or a strong competitive position while withdrawing from markets where its assessment of future investment priorities has changed.

Neither description should be treated as an official characterisation by Uber. The company itself has said that the Nigeria and Uganda decisions are limited to those two markets and that it remains committed to sub-Saharan Africa.

What Uber’s Exits Leave Behind

Uber’s departure does not mean the disappearance of app-based transportation in any of the four countries.

In Nigeria, Bolt, inDrive, LagRide and other platforms remain in the market. In Uganda, SafeBoda, Bolt and Faras continue to compete for riders and drivers. Tanzania and Côte d’Ivoire also retain other ride-hailing services.

The demand for app-based mobility has therefore not disappeared with Uber. What has changed is the competitive landscape.

For drivers, the exits remove one platform from the pool of applications through which they can seek customers. For passengers, they reduce the number of major international brands available, while leaving space for competing platforms to attract riders.

For Uber, the public record establishes that the company has chosen to reduce its presence in four African markets while retaining operations in others.

The available evidence also shows substantial differences between those markets in terms of ride-hailing adoption, competition, operating costs and regulatory conditions. What it does not establish is a single economic or regulatory reason for the four departures.

Uber’s own explanation remains that it reviewed its business priorities and investment focus.

The broader question, then, is not simply whether Uber is retreating from Africa. It is whether the company’s current footprint represents a longer-term shift towards fewer markets where it believes its investment can be deployed more effectively.

For now, the evidence supports the fact of a reduced footprint. It also shows that Uber continues to operate in several of Africa’s largest and most active ride-hailing markets.

Whether the four departures become the beginning of a broader contraction or remain a selective reshaping of Uber’s African business will depend on what the company does next.