Regulating Ride-Sourcing in Africa: Governance Challenges and Policy Lessons from Cameroon

This study explores the growing impact of ride-sourcing platforms on urban mobility in Africa, focusing on Yango, a Russian ride-hailing service operating in Yaoundé and Douala, Cameroon. Yango’s emergence has sparked debates about the regulatory and governance challenges facing the sector, particularly regarding traditional taxi protection, passenger safety, pricing fairness, and driver accountability. The research examines the evolving regulatory landscape of ride-sourcing in African cities, using Cameroon as a case study to understand the complexities of governing these digital platforms. It captures the perspectives of key stakeholders, including Yango users, traditional taxi operators, and service providers, to assess the challenges and opportunities presented by the platform. Using both quantitative and qualitative methods, data were collected from 350 respondents to uncover the tensions between innovation and regulation. Findings reveal that while ride-sourcing services are rapidly expanding across Africa and offer significant potential, the absence of clear and consistent regulatory frameworks hinders their sustainable development. This study contributes to the broader discourse on digital mobility in Sub-Saharan Africa and offers policy insights for achieving balanced, inclusive, and well-governed ride-sourcing systems, particularly in rapidly urbanising African contexts like Cameroon.