Glovo has named Nigeria its fastest-growing market in 2025, underscoring the country’s rising importance in the company’s global expansion plans.
The on-demand delivery platform, which launched in Nigeria in 2021, revealed the milestone at its Future of Commerce 2026 summit held in Lagos on Wednesday. Over the past year, Glovo says it has invested more than ₦37 billion ($27 million) in the country and delivered 38 million items figures that highlight both growing consumer demand and increased activity from businesses on its platform.
The company’s Nigeria growth story reflects a deliberate long-term strategy. From the outset, Glovo positioned the country as a key anchor market, and it is now doubling down on local investments to deepen its footprint.
“At Glovo, we are focused on empowering SMBs with the tools, technology and access they need to grow and compete in a rapidly evolving digital economy,” said Reni Onafeko. She added that stronger collaboration between public and private sectors will be critical to sustaining that momentum.
Nigeria’s performance is also reshaping Glovo’s broader African play. The company currently operates in six African markets, including Morocco, Tunisia, Kenya, Uganda, and Côte d’Ivoire, and has invested over €250 million across the continent since 2018. Africa now accounts for roughly a quarter of its global business, with Nigeria emerging as a central driver.
That growth is happening against the backdrop of a rapidly expanding market. Nigeria’s online food delivery sector crossed the $1 billion mark in 2025 and is projected to more than double by 2034. Competition has intensified, with local platforms like Chowdeck and HeyFood going head-to-head with global players such as Glovo, collectively accelerating the country’s shift toward on-demand commerce.
For Glovo, Nigeria’s fundamentals remain compelling: a population exceeding 200 million, increasing urbanisation, and rising internet penetration. According to Dima Rasnovsky, these factors are already translating into sustained demand.
“Nigeria is a very exciting market,” he said at the event. “There’s population, there’s momentum it feels like a wave, and being part of that wave is what makes this market so compelling.”
Beyond scale, Glovo is leaning on product and operational improvements to fuel growth. The company said enhancements to its technology contributed to 35% of merchant sales growth over the past year, pointing to the impact of better user experience and platform efficiency.
It is also investing in rider safety. In March 2026, Glovo rolled out a new feature in partnership with the Federal Road Safety Corps, offering real-time insights into rider behaviour such as speeding and braking. The company says adoption has already reached 60%, part of a broader push to improve safety and operational standards.
Looking ahead, expansion remains a priority. Glovo plans to move beyond the 11 Nigerian cities it currently serves, targeting underserved locations where demand is growing but supply remains limited. While specific cities were not disclosed, the company says the move is driven by requests from both businesses and customers.
At the same time, Glovo is widening its focus beyond food delivery. Like many global platforms, it is betting on multi-category commerce, expanding into groceries and retail to become a full-service marketplace. That shift mirrors moves by competitors such as Chowdeck, which has already partnered with grocery startup GoLemon to strengthen its supply chain and enable faster delivery.
“You can’t build the largest marketplace without tapping into everything else,” Onafeko said, noting that Glovo plans to deepen its presence across multiple categories while maintaining a strong commitment to Nigeria’s economy.