African startups that modernise the very traditional automotive industry on the continent can be game changers and have the potential to be among the continent’s best-performing companies. That is according to Etop Ikpe, the former chief executive officer (CEO) of Cars45 and the founder of Autochek, a newly-founded Nigerian startup aiming to build digital solutions that will enhance and enable a seamless and safe automotive commerce experience across Africa. “That is the evolution that is coming. It is about providing solutions that can allow all participants within the ecosystem to thrive. Technology is the only way we can achieve scale. If you look at the automotive industry over time, globally, it is one that has struggled to transition, simply because it is a hard metal industry, and one of the most thriving industries over the last 100 years,” he said. “It’s one of the most established industries across the world. Many of the companies that are thriving today have structure and supply chains that have been laid out for decades and decades. So when are you going to apply tech to that kind of industry? It is traditional in its fundamental nature.”
SOURCE: DISRUPT AFRICA