Uber-rival Careem expands services into Sudan

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DUBAI: Middle East ride-hailing firm Careem said yesterday it had started a service in Sudan, one of few international companies to enter the country since US economic sanctions were lifted last year.

Sudan is grappling with an economic crisis as a foreign currency shortage and an increasingly expensive black market for dollars weakened its ability to import and made prices soar.

Careem, which said its services were now available in Sudan’s capital Khartoum, has hired 10 Sudanese employees and signed up hundreds of drivers to its app to launch operations.

The company expects to have as many as 30 employees in Sudan and be present in at least one other city in the northeast African country by the end of the year.

“My goal and aim is to cover as many (cities) as possible in the next one or two years,” Careem’s managing director for Emerging Markets Ibrahim Manna said.

Sudan has the potential to be one of Careem’s biggest markets in terms of number of trips taken due to the population size and demand for transportation services, he added. — Reuters