TORA Africa plans to create 1,000 jobs for bike riders in 30 days

TORA Africa—a live-in drivers’ academy—has announced plans to create 1,000 jobs in the bike-hailing sector within the next 30 days.

To achieve this, TORA Africa will be training 50 people in batches at its campus in Ikorodu and Iyana-Ipaja, Lagos, free of charge. The trained drivers will be immediately connected to jobs, which will provide them with a motorbike, access to health insurance, pension plan and a monthly salary of ₦150,000.

During the training, selected drivers will also have access to collateral-free loans and drivers’ licence.

What you should know about TORA Africa

TORA Africa is barely six months old. Its co-founders are Roseline Ekenimoh [CEO] and Charles Avackaa [COO], while Ized Uanikhehi is the Chief Marketing Officer. It is noteworthy that both Charles and Ized have worked with Metro Africa Xpress (max.ng)—one of the leading bike-hailing startups in Nigeria—as community/project manager and CMO, respectively.  

In April 2019, the Co-founder and Programme Director at Wennovation Hub, Idris Ayodeji Bello, made an undisclosed angel investment in TORA.

TORA Africa offers free training and employment opportunities to people in the transportation sector. According to Idris Bello, TORA Africa is the ‘Andela for Drivers’. Its business model is strengthened by the enormous opportunity in Nigeria’s mobility market, despite the regulatory challenges bedevilling the bike-hailing startups. Similarly, e-commerce operators have been plagued by a lack of competent drivers to meet their business needs.

How to participate in the 30 days, 1,000 jobs target

Interested drivers or riders [with little or no experience] should fill this form.

And if you know anyone in your neighbourhood or church that would be interested in getting trained as a driver or rider, share this link with them: bit.ly/2O7y9QC

Traffic congestion, as a result of lack of effective transport system, in Lagos, Ibadan, Aba and other cities across the country creates an opportunity for growth for bike-hailing startups, as well as middle-men like TORA Africa, which recruits, verifies, trains and empower drivers.

Nigeria is one of the fastest growing logistics and mobility startups market in Africa and the emerging markets with key players like Gokada and Max.ng having raised up to $12 million in funding. But most of these players are plagued by a lack of competent drivers to meet demand and fast-track growth.

Ized said

According to her, TORA helps to raise highly-skilled drivers for the fast-growing transportation sector, thereby creating jobs and contributing to the economic development of Nigeria.