By Etop Ekanem

ABUJA—Glovo, one of the world’s leading multi-category delivery players, commemorated its one year of operations in Nigeria with a high-level stakeholder event. 

The event, held in Abuja had the General Manager of the Courier and Logistics Regulatory Department of NIPOST and the representatives of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission and the Drivers Training Institute of the Vehicle Inspection Office Abuja, as well as a host of key stakeholders within the Glovo ecosystem across Nigeria in attendance.

The event presented an opportunity for Glovo to host and honour its partners and stakeholders for their contributions to the growth of the business in the past year. Guests were taken down the memory lane of Glovo’s business operations and key highlights of some achievements to date, including a robust expansion across key cities in Nigeria (Lagos, Abuja and Ibadan), with a vision to expand to other cities in the coming years.

The event’s highlight was the couriers’ training held in collaboration with GIZ (German Agency for International Cooperation GmbH –Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH) under the VET Toolbox Initiative on professionalizing the skills development of delivery riders in Nigeria. Through this partnership, Glovo aims to improve the technical and soft skills of at least 300 riders collaborating with the Glovoapp.

Speaking at the event, Lorenzo Mayol, General Manager for Glovo Nigeria, said: “We are excited and honoured to celebrate the first year of Glovo in Nigeria. We owe our success stories to our partners for their unwavering hard work and contributions, our users for their consistent loyalty, trust and support, and the couriers who collaborate with our platform. 

“Nigeria is a key market for us due to its high and untapped potential and rapid growth, and the partnerships we have built so far have become a metaphor for endless possibilities. We remain committed to delivering value to our users, the community, and the country’s economy for years to come.”

Also, Tokunbo Ibrahim, Public Affairs Manager, Sub-Saharan Africa for Glovo, said: “At Glovo, we are committed to our entire ecosystem of partners, couriers and users. Our success driver so far is our culture of accountability as a company and how we leverage the strengths and capabilities of our workforce and partners to ensure quality and timely service delivery.

Since commencing operations in Nigeria, we have signed over 3,000 partners with over 97 per cent being small and medium enterprises, onboarded and trained more than 2,000 couriers, and have invested in local talent that drives Glovo’s growth in this market. We will continue to work closely with our users and the wider community to ensure we deliver value by creating economic opportunities for all our stakeholders.”

In his remarks, General Manager for the Courier and Logistics Regulatory Department of NIPOST, Mr Gideon Shonde commended Glovo for its efforts in upskilling couriers, stating that among the over 500 licensed operators in Nigeria, what Glovo has achieved in its one year of operations is laudable particularly as it relates to investment in the training of couriers.

Over the past year of its journey in Nigeria, Glovo has partnered with local and international chains such as Chicken Republic and KFC, also offering over 600 pharmacy products from leading chains such as HealthPlus and MedPlus. In addition, the company provides courier services for B2B and has launched its first micro-fulfillment center, a supermarket that offers affordable groceries to users called Glovo Bargains. Prices are up to 30% cheaper than competitors.