Glovo, a global food delivery and courier platform, has launched the Glovo Academy in Abuja to support small businesses and boost Nigeria’s fast-growing micro, small, and medium enterprises sector.
Kolawole Adeniyi, Head of Commercial, Glovo Nigeria, speaking at the launch, said the company was deepening its investment in Africa by prioritising the growth of smaller businesses. He explained that Glovo, which was founded in 2015 and entered Africa in 2018, had already invested €206m across six African countries, including Nigeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Kenya, Côte d’Ivoire, and Uganda.
According to him, the continent had generated over €1bn for more than 40,000 business partners, with 90 per cent of them being SMEs. “In Africa, we have 60,000 riders who rely on us for sustenance, and our partners have earned more than €1bn since we launched here,”
Adeniyi added, “What is critical is that we don’t just support big businesses. Over 90 percent of our partners across Africa are SMEs, and in Nigeria, it’s even higher at about 95 percent. That shows the level of impact we’re making on the grassroots economy.”
He added that in Nigeria alone, Glovo had delivered about N55bn in value to its partners since its 2021 entry into the market, with more than 5,000 businesses and 12,000 riders benefiting from its platform.
Adeniyi said, “Most global companies come to Africa to extract as much as they can. We have taken a different approach by putting significant resources back into the continent without expecting immediate returns. Nigeria represents one of the biggest opportunities globally due to its growing youth population and market size.”
Reni Onafeko, Head of Growth and Head of Abuja Business, Glovo Nigeria, highlighted the company’s rapid expansion in the capital city. Onafeko said, “Abuja is one of our focus communities and we have delivered about two million orders. More than 1,000 partners have come on board in Abuja alone, while over 2,000 riders have earned income through Glovo. This shows how fast the business is growing and how much value is being transferred to local partners.”
Onafeko added that the launch of the Glovo Academy was aimed at building skills and creating sustainable growth for small businesses that make up the majority of Glovo’s ecosystem in Nigeria. She said, “Every partner we work with contributes to the Nigerian economy. Initiatives like this academy will help us scale sustainably while adding more value to the economy.”
At the launch of the Glovo Academy in Abuja, panellists from the government and the private sector emphasised that micro, small, and medium enterprises must be at the heart of Nigeria’s economic transformation.
From the private sector, Tijjani Mustapha, founder of the food chain brand Ahmed Shawarma, shared the practical difficulties of running a small business in Nigeria. He said “Operational challenges in food service are a daily reality. At the early stage, our biggest test was covering costs while growing sales. Later, human resources became the bigger headache. If you want to survive, you must learn to delegate and maintain consistency. Customers notice every lapse.”
Mustapha admitted, “Platforms like Glovo, Instagram, and Facebook are no longer optional. They give you visibility, customer insights, and the convenience that modern consumers demand. For us, technology has been central to scaling and maintaining quality.”
The panel concluded that while Nigeria’s 39 million SMEs face significant challenges, sustained investment, smarter policies, more affordable financing, and digital adoption will be crucial in ensuring they deliver on their promise of creating jobs and promoting inclusive growth.
With Nigeria ranking as one of Glovo’s fastest-growing markets worldwide, the company said it expected the country to soon rival its largest markets in Spain and Italy.
