Weeks after having officially launched its service in Kampala, Uganda, and committing to a Statement of Understanding (SoU) to ratify its service in Accra, international mobile taxi service Uber has confirmed its launch in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

A statement issued by the app service detailed that Dar es Salaam has become the 475 city to join the Uber global network.

The service quotes statistics from the World Bank which states that Tanzania's GDP growth rate is estimated at 6.8% for 2017 and its transport sector is among those that are booming.

Alon Lits General Manager for Uber Sub-Saharan Africa said, "We are proud to launch Uber in Tanzania at such an exciting point in its growing economy. As the infrastructure of Dar es Salaam rapidly urbanises, so the demand for affordable, easy and flexible transport grows."

He added, "We have set the standard for connecting people to world-class transport, moving millions of global citizens every day through our offering of affordable and reliable rides at the touch of a button. Our service complements existing transport options, so we can all work together to reduce traffic congestion and the environmental impact of transport in the city."

Ghana service

Last week Ghana's Minister for Transport Fifi Kwetey joined the Ambassador of the US to Ghana Robert Porter Jackson and Alon Lits, General Manager for Uber Sub-Saharan Africa, and signed the SoU, and cement the country's position as one of the first on the continent to sign this type of agreement.

Similarly in Nigeria, Obinna Chidoka, a member of the Federal House of Representatives and the Chairman of the Committee on Environment and Habitat, spearheaded a resolution passed by the country's government which supports technology-driven ridesharing.

Chidoka said, "This resolution is a pivotal step for Nigeria and the critical role technology will play in helping us achieve the ambitions set out in the 2015 Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) towards a low-carbon, climate-resilient future. This ridesharing resolution is an important development in reducing the number of cars on our roads, creating thousands of jobs and building sustainable businesses for our country."

The country's lawmakers point to research by the African Development Bank which claims that the average commuter in Lagos spends over three hours in traffic every day.

It is predicted that over 200 million will be added to Nigeria's cities in the next 40 years, more than tripling the size of its current urban population.