The number of cars in Southern Africa has increased and this is causing serious traffic congestion especially in areas where the road network is poor. Even big cities such as Cape Town are investing in upgrading their roads due to increased traffic. Traffic congestion in Cape Town is resulting in motorists spending more than 40 extra minutes on the road. This is why the city will be investing more than R408 million in order to widen roads and improve the flow of traffic.
In Harare, we witnessed an Intercape Bus which had left Roadport at 6:00pm being stuck before the Mbudzi Roundabout for 3 hours! The bus was supposed to be in Masvingo but had not left Harare because of massive traffic congestion at the Mbudzi Roundabout. The situation is the same in Lilongwe, Blantyre, Maseru and Lusaka.
Have you ever wondered who is benefiting from the sudden influx of cars which are mostly Ex Japanese? The biggest beneficiary are fuel companies, road licencing authorities and spare parts suppliers. Look around your areas and count the number of fuel stations coming up. Most cities have recorded more than 40% new service stations over the past decade and the number seems to be going up.
So the challenge to you is to find out on your own how to set up a fuel station. Team up with family members, colleagues, friends and relatives and find out from the local authorities whether there is land available for fuel stations.
Next week on Friday we will share other vehicle related business opportunities.
Kwaheri
