Uber leaves two key African markets — and their drivers in despair

A week ago, Uber unexpectly announced its departure from the Nigerian market after spending over a decade building up its presence in Africa's most populous country. The ride-hailing platform also announced that it would be winding up its operations in Uganda — also with immediate effect.

With the exit from both Nigeria and Uganda , Uber now remains operational only in a handful of African countries — namely Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa.

"This decision is limited strictly to these two markets and does not impact our operations across the rest of the continent," Uber said in a statement, adding that their "immediate priority is supporting drivers, riders, and local team members throughout this transition."

In the last year, the company also closed shop in Ivory Coast and Tanzania while also cutting its global workforce by 10%.

Uber has not managed to grow across much of the African market despite its massive global scale.

The profit-driven ride-hailing app faces stiff competition from rival platforms, including Bolt, inDrive and SafeBoda, which operate in the Nigerian and Ugandan markets and beyond.

However, it's not only Uber that is dealing with frustration over the current situation.

Many of its drivers across Africa have been raising complaints about shrinking profit margins amid rising fuel costs, inflation and currency volatility in markets like Nigeria.