No African executive sat at the negotiating table. No African government was consulted. Yet when Uber completes its takeover of Germany's Delivery Hero - a deal valued at $14.8bn in equity, or $13.7bn net of Uber's existing stake - one of the largest technology transactions of the decade will reshape the digital economy of cities from Lagos to Nairobi, Cairo to Casablanca.
The combined company will operate across 99 markets, with pro-forma gross bookings of $236bn in 2025, making it the largest mobility-and-delivery platform outside China. Regulatory clearance is expected to take time; completion is anticipated in the second half of 2027.
For most consumers, little will appear to change at first. The Glovo rider weaving through Tunis, or the Talabat courier delivering dinner in Cairo, will likely still wear familiar colours. Restaurants will keep accepting orders; customers will keep scrolling the same menus. But behind the apps, ownership will have shifted decisively - and with it, control over data, logistics and pricing across some of the continent's largest cities.
Through the acquisition, Uber inherits Glovo's operations in Nigeria, Kenya, Morocco, Côte d'Ivoire, Tunisia and Uganda, alongside Talabat's business in Egypt - giving the American company an unprecedented footprint across several of Africa's fastest-growing urban economies.
Originally published by African Business.