(Ecofin Agency) - U.S ride-hailing company Uber plans to launch boat taxi services in Lagos, Nigeria. Brooks Entwistle (photo), the company’s chief business officer (CBO), told Bloomberg last week.

He said Uber engaged talks with the Nigerian government in that regard to start operating its Uber Boats in the country’s biggest city. The project will make it possible to leverage waterways to reduce traffic congestion. “We know the traffic is a priority and we think we can help there,” the executive said.

This announcement comes less than a month after Nigerian Export Import (NEXIM) Bank signed with National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) and SEALINK Promotional Company a tripartite agreement to improve trade through better operation of waterways.

Uber says the project it is about to launch in Nigeria aligns with its ambition to expand across the continent. The company launched activity in Egypt in 2017 and now seeks Dakar in Senegal and Abidjan in Cote d’Ivoire.

Moutiou Adjibi Nourou