Saudi Arabia’s travel technology sector has moved deeper into Africa through a strategic partnership between almatar Travel Solutions and Wakanow, linking a Riyadh-based booking and airline-content platform with one of the continent’s established digital travel companies.
The agreement, signed in Riyadh on April 29 under the patronage of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, gives Wakanow access to almatar’s flight services and airline distribution capabilities for customers across more than 15 African countries. The deal is intended to widen digital booking options, improve access to flight inventory and support cross-border travel services in markets where online travel platforms are still competing with traditional agencies and fragmented local booking channels.
almatar, a Saudi company specialising in travel technology, has built its business around flight bookings, hotel reservations, furnished apartments, holiday packages and app-based travel management. Its platform offers access to hundreds of airlines and a wide hotel inventory, alongside Arabic and English interfaces, multiple payment options and round-the-clock customer support. The partnership with Wakanow gives the company a route into high-growth African markets without having to build consumer-facing operations country by country.
Wakanow, founded in Nigeria in 2008, operates a network of more than 34 travel service centres in addition to its online platform. Its services cover flights, hotels, visa support, holiday packages, airport transfers and loyalty products, making it one of Africa’s better-known travel technology brands. The company’s hybrid model, combining physical branches with digital booking channels, remains important in markets where travellers may still prefer assisted transactions for visas, payment, itinerary changes and multi-leg journeys.
The agreement reflects a wider shift in travel technology as regional platforms seek scale through partnerships rather than direct expansion alone. For Wakanow, access to almatar’s airline content distribution can strengthen its flight offering at a time when African travellers are demanding more transparent fares, faster booking confirmation and broader route availability. For almatar, Wakanow provides market reach, brand recognition and customer relationships across a continent where air travel demand is expected to grow as incomes rise, visa regimes evolve and regional connectivity improves.
Saudi Arabia has been positioning technology exports as part of its economic diversification agenda, with the communications ministry encouraging domestic digital companies to expand beyond the Kingdom. Travel technology fits that strategy because it sits at the intersection of tourism, aviation, payments, cloud services and consumer platforms. The Kingdom’s own tourism targets, expanded airport infrastructure and rapid growth in digital payments have created a larger base for home-grown companies to develop products that can be sold abroad.
The partnership also comes as Riyadh seeks stronger commercial links with African economies. Saudi companies have been increasing their presence across logistics, ports, food security, energy, finance and digital services, while African governments are looking for investment that supports connectivity and job creation. Travel platforms can play a practical role in that relationship by making business travel, labour mobility, religious travel and leisure tourism easier to manage.
Africa’s online travel sector remains uneven. Large markets such as Nigeria, South Africa, Egypt, Kenya, Ghana and Morocco have seen steady digital adoption, but many customers still rely on offline agents because of payment barriers, limited trust in online transactions, refund concerns and complex visa requirements. Platforms that combine technology with local service networks have an advantage, particularly when customers need support before and after ticket purchase.
Airline distribution is a key part of the contest. Travel companies that can aggregate fares from multiple airlines, manage price changes quickly and provide reliable booking confirmation are better placed to capture demand from families, students, migrant workers, small businesses and tour operators. For African customers, better access to flight content could mean more route choices and improved comparison of fares, although the final impact will depend on airline participation, payment integration and customer service execution.
The agreement, signed in Riyadh on April 29 under the patronage of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, gives Wakanow access to almatar’s flight services and airline distribution capabilities for customers across more than 15 African countries. The deal is intended to widen digital booking options, improve access to flight inventory and support cross-border travel services in markets where online travel platforms are still competing with traditional agencies and fragmented local booking channels.
almatar, a Saudi company specialising in travel technology, has built its business around flight bookings, hotel reservations, furnished apartments, holiday packages and app-based travel management. Its platform offers access to hundreds of airlines and a wide hotel inventory, alongside Arabic and English interfaces, multiple payment options and round-the-clock customer support. The partnership with Wakanow gives the company a route into high-growth African markets without having to build consumer-facing operations country by country.
Wakanow, founded in Nigeria in 2008, operates a network of more than 34 travel service centres in addition to its online platform. Its services cover flights, hotels, visa support, holiday packages, airport transfers and loyalty products, making it one of Africa’s better-known travel technology brands. The company’s hybrid model, combining physical branches with digital booking channels, remains important in markets where travellers may still prefer assisted transactions for visas, payment, itinerary changes and multi-leg journeys.
The agreement reflects a wider shift in travel technology as regional platforms seek scale through partnerships rather than direct expansion alone. For Wakanow, access to almatar’s airline content distribution can strengthen its flight offering at a time when African travellers are demanding more transparent fares, faster booking confirmation and broader route availability. For almatar, Wakanow provides market reach, brand recognition and customer relationships across a continent where air travel demand is expected to grow as incomes rise, visa regimes evolve and regional connectivity improves.
Saudi Arabia has been positioning technology exports as part of its economic diversification agenda, with the communications ministry encouraging domestic digital companies to expand beyond the Kingdom. Travel technology fits that strategy because it sits at the intersection of tourism, aviation, payments, cloud services and consumer platforms. The Kingdom’s own tourism targets, expanded airport infrastructure and rapid growth in digital payments have created a larger base for home-grown companies to develop products that can be sold abroad.
The partnership also comes as Riyadh seeks stronger commercial links with African economies. Saudi companies have been increasing their presence across logistics, ports, food security, energy, finance and digital services, while African governments are looking for investment that supports connectivity and job creation. Travel platforms can play a practical role in that relationship by making business travel, labour mobility, religious travel and leisure tourism easier to manage.
Africa’s online travel sector remains uneven. Large markets such as Nigeria, South Africa, Egypt, Kenya, Ghana and Morocco have seen steady digital adoption, but many customers still rely on offline agents because of payment barriers, limited trust in online transactions, refund concerns and complex visa requirements. Platforms that combine technology with local service networks have an advantage, particularly when customers need support before and after ticket purchase.
Airline distribution is a key part of the contest. Travel companies that can aggregate fares from multiple airlines, manage price changes quickly and provide reliable booking confirmation are better placed to capture demand from families, students, migrant workers, small businesses and tour operators. For African customers, better access to flight content could mean more route choices and improved comparison of fares, although the final impact will depend on airline participation, payment integration and customer service execution.
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