Jiji, the largest online marketplace in Africa, has reached an agreement to merge operations with the leading used car sales platform Cars45, creating a new and leading pan-African car buying and selling business.
Jiji, supported by Lemma.Group, and Cars45 today announced that both companies had reached an agreement, under which they will merge their operations in Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria.
The merger of operations promises a new level of trade experience for auto buyers and sellers across the three countries. Joining the Jiji family will allow Cars45 users to benefit from Jiji’s market-leading products in online classifieds. In turn, Cars45 brings a unique O2O car buying and selling service, where cars can safely be sold instantly to dealers or via a consumer marketplace to other consumers.
Together, users in the auto sector can expect a new level of convenience in buying and selling cars, combining online and offline capabilities.
Anton Volyansky, CEO and co-founder of Jiji, said: “We are looking forward to creating a new advanced experience for Cars45 users. Undoubtedly, our collaboration on future products and services will bring additional value to the consumers. For Jiji, it’s the first bold step into the transactional business model and an important foundation for building the future of the company.”
David Ojo, CFO and Member of the Strategic Board at Jiji: “Cars45’s key value for Jiji is a network of inspection centers, where all cars are inspected by 202+ parameters. This provides a detailed report on a car’s condition with information from various databases: police, registration, etc. All of this ultimately aligns with Jiji’s focus on customers safety and overall quality user experience.”
Soumobroto Ganguly, CEO of Cars45, commented: “We are proud to have built a trusted buying and selling experience in autos. It makes sense to combine online and offline expertise. Merging with Jiji is aimed at creating a new kind of automotive retail experience for users in Africa. We are confident of jointly building an African Champion in the O2O Automotive Sector. Together we look forward to making transactions transparent and convenient for our customers, dealers and franchisees across all our current and future markets.
Following the closing of the transaction, the operations of Cars45 and Jiji will merge to create a single organisation which will offer unique services for car sellers, buyers and dealers in Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria.