Can Everyday Commutes Be Turned into Delivery Opportunities? One Ethiopian Startup Is Betting on It

Turn Plc is flipping the script of the online delivery business model in Ethiopia with a platform that relies on users’ travel routes to deliver items. Dubbed Kewede, which means “From-To" (ከ ፣ወደ) in Amharic, the platform assigns part-time delivery, traveler, and dispatcher roles to customers based on their commutes.

A customer registered for part-time delivery can courier items from their workplace to their residence, while dispatchers can use their place of work as a primary hub for deliveries. Kewede is also modernizing the tradition of carrying packages for relatives or friends during international or domestic trips by allowing users to benefit financially from their service.

Endalk Belachew, founder of Turn Plc, established the company last year with the hopes of overlaying technology on Ethiopia's existing soft and hard infrastructure. Hailing from an educational background in urban management and business administration, the Founder has over a decade of experience in academia and commerce.

The Kewede project, which aligns with the company’s priorities, is Turn’s flagship product. The company prides itself on relying primarily on public transportation to provide its services.

“We are using an existing infrastructure and practice,” Endalk told Shega.” It just needs to be updated to contemporary needs.”

Users planning to travel long distances are expected to input their identification and enter into a contract with the company after providing a guarantor. Kewede automatically matches international and domestic travelers with customers looking to have goods delivered to the same destination.

The startup leverages social media to promote its platform with ads such as, “Traveling from Jimma to Addis Ababa next week? Carry an item along the way and get paid.”

The five-year-old ed-tech company Kuraz Technologies developed the Platform which introduces a decentralized approach to Ethiopia’s delivery ecosystem. A report on Addis Ababa-based startups reveals the delivery and logistics sector to be one of the biggest employers in the local innovation ecosystem. 

Kewede's reliance on part-time personnel helps reduce costs associated with hiring permanent employees. However, this approach carries its own risks, including ensuring the safety of items, coordinating pickup and delivery times, and attracting large clients.

Despite these challenges, the app has already registered 322 customers and 238 delivery personnel, charging a minimum of 150 birr for deliveries in Addis Ababa while levying up to 500 birr for inter-region shipments.

“There could be adjustments to fees depending on the size of the packages or it entails additional transport costs,” Endalk explains.

He indicated the possibility of deploying a commission-based monetization model to help sustain the business in the long run while it is currently operating on a trial basis.

“We are hoping to onboard the Ethiopian diaspora community,” the Founder says.

The Company looks to create a network of delivery operators as it looks to reduce reliance on traditional courier systems.

Globally, a few emerging companies are working on transforming daily commuting into delivery opportunities, such as France-based ParcelChain, an app that reimagines home delivery through a crowdsourced platform.