MTN and ETAP wants to reward good driving behaviour in Nigeria

MTN Nigeria has partnered with ETAP, a mobility technology company that creates solutions and incentives to improve the automotive experience across Africa, to reward Nigerian drivers for maintaining good driving behaviour.

In Q1 2022, total road traffic crashes were 3,345, showing a decrease of 1.82% from Q4 2021, which recorded 3,407. Most of these crashes are caused by speed violations, brake failure and other bad driving behaviours, according to the National Bureau of Statistics [pdf]. "This [road traffic crash], apart from insurgency and banditry, is among the leading causes of death in Nigeria…" Sanusi Ibrahim, Borno State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) said.

With ETAP’s advanced telematics-powered app which monitors driving behaviour such as speed, acceleration, braking, cornering and focus, MTN customers across Nigeria will be able to earn Safe Driving Points that can be converted into vouchers for fuel, shopping vouchers for the most in-demand retail outlets, cinema and concert tickets, as well as vouchers for other exciting experiences.

ETAP will also sponsor data for MTN customers to access the app so that it would not consume data from their existing allowance and it would continue to work if they run out of data.

Connecting over 68 million people across the country with each other and to the world, MTN is Nigeria’s largest mobile network operator. As part of this partnership with ETAP, MTN customers will also get a free 35-point car inspection at AutoFast locations in Total filling stations, making it easier to keep their vehicles in the best condition.

"We want to connect our customers to exciting products and services that enable the best experiences, and this partnership with ETAP aligns perfectly with this mission," Adia Sowho, Chief Marketing Officer of MTN Nigeria said. "We are excited to be working with this innovative company to inspire behaviour change on Nigerian roads and ultimately improve the day-to-day experience of millions of Nigerians."

ETAP also has a leaderboard where drivers are gamified to maintain good driving behaviour. Drivers can monitor the leaderboard in real-time to get actionable insights on their driving behaviour, access tips to improve their driving behaviour and get rewarded for driving better. In addition, drivers can also challenge each other on who the better driver is based on their leaderboard ranking.

ETAP’s business model is based on the concept of Shared Value Insurance, which focuses on incentivising people with rewards to reduce their insurance risk by adopting good behaviour. Along with the rewards, drivers can buy insurance in 90 seconds and complete claims in three minutes or less, with flexible coverage options including daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual plans depending on their needs.

ETAP also uses machine learning to build intelligent risk profiles that determine appropriate premiums for each driver, allowing them to achieve lower premiums by driving safely.

"Beyond driving much-needed insurance penetration in Nigeria, we are committed to inspiring behaviour change on our roads. We strongly believe that our shared value insurance model combined with MTN’s vast reach has the potential to catalyse improved driving behaviour on Nigerian roads." Ibraheem Babalola, CEO and founder of ETAP, said in a statement shared with Benjamindada.com.

In April 2022, Etap secured $1.5 million in pre-seed funding to drive car insurance penetration in Africa. The pre-seed funding round was led by Mobility 54 (the Venture Capital arm of Toyota Tsusho and CFAO Group), with participation from Tangerine Insurance, Graph Ventures (invested in Clubhouse), Newmont and other angel investors.

Since launching in beta in November 2021, ETAP has insured more than 130,000 individual trips and over 500,000 kilometres of car journeys, which represents more than eight times the total distance of paved roads in Nigeria.