Ghana: Shatta Wale launches Shaxi ride-hailing service

The launch arrived five months after the musician announced plans to roll out the company as part of his goal to provide employment opportunities to young Ghanaians. It was attended by a number of the musician’s fellow musicians and industry stakeholders. 

Shaxi is a portmanteau of ‘Shatta’ and ‘taxi’. It is the latest venture in the ‘Already’ hitmaker’s growing portfolio of investments in music and real estate. 

Shatta Wale noted that the company’s primary aim would not be profit-making but to leave a mark on society. “Shaxi is not for Shatta Wale and friends, it’s a Ghanaian project for Ghanaians. So let’s all embrace it and make it happen,’’ he said.

“Shatta Movement fans are going to be employed,” he wrote on Twitter in July. “The youth are going to be employed, the street [boys] are going to be employed, yes we all can play a role in reducing the unemployment rate. It’s coming to #SHAXI.”

Separately, Shatta Wale said the company was “looking forward to employing a lot more of the female population to encourage and empower women drivers,” adding that “when we come together, we can do so many things for ourselves.” 

Shaxi is the latest ride-hailing application in Ghana and will try to provide competition for other ride-sharing services like Uber, Bolt and Yango. 

Meanwhile, Shatta Wale, a leading name in the country’s music industry, is preparing the release of his new album Gift of God. The project was scheduled to drop last year, but the singer delayed the release due to the COVID-19 pandemic.