Onome Amuge

Global food delivery platform, Glovo, has made one of its boldest moves yet in Nigeria with the launch of the Glovo Academy in Abuja, an initiative designed to strengthen micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), considered the backbone of Africa’s fourth largest economy.

While the academy represents a new phase of the Spanish company’s expansion strategy, the subtext of the launch indicates that global tech companies are beginning to see Nigerian small businesses not just as clients but as long-term partners capable of driving their own growth.

Speaking at the Abuja launch, Kolawole Adeniyi, head of commercial at Glovo Nigeria, stated: “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.”

Since entering Nigeria in 2021, Glovo says it has delivered over N55 billion in value to its local partners, onboarding more than 5,000 businesses and engaging 12,000 riders. Across Africa, the company has invested €206 million in six countries and generated over €1 billion in earnings for 40,000 business partners, 90 per cent of whom are SMEs.

For Adeniyi, these numbers speak not just to Glovo’s financial stake in the market, but to the company’s recognition of Nigeria’s grassroots economy as its true engine of growth. “Over 95 per cent of our partners in Nigeria are SMEs. That shows the level of impact we’re making on the grassroots economy,” he noted.

The capital city has emerged as a critical testbed for Glovo’s model. According to Reni Onafeko, Glovo Nigeria’s head of growth and Abuja business, the company has completed about two million orders in the city since launching operations. More than 1,000 partners have joined Glovo in Abuja, while 2,000 riders have earned income through the platform.

Onafeko noted that the Glovo Academy is not just about onboarding more businesses, but about equipping existing ones with the skills to compete in a tougher, digital-first environment. “Every partner we work with contributes to the Nigerian economy. Initiatives like this academy will help us scale sustainably while adding more value,” she said.

Nigeria is now one of Glovo’s fastest-growing markets worldwide, and the company has hinted it could soon rival Spain and Italy, its two largest markets. 

By anchoring itself more deeply in the SME space, Glovo appears to be hedging against weak infrastructure, rising operating costs, and a regulatory environment often playing catch-up with innovation, positioning itself as an enabler of local enterprise rather than just a delivery platform.

At the launch, panellists from government and the private sector echoed this sentiment, stressing that MSMEs remain central to Nigeria’s economic future. Ifeoma Williams, senior special adviser on strategic communications to the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, described SMEs as the lifeblood of growth.

“Nigeria has over 39 million SMEs, contributing at least 40 per cent to GDP and creating more than 80 per cent of jobs,” she said, citing SMEDAN data.

Williams argued that sectors like digital commerce, agribusiness, renewable energy, and the creative industries would define Nigeria’s next decade of growth. She also revealed that the government had finalised a new industrial policy, the first in over 30 years, validated last month and due for unveiling at the Nigerian Economic Summit.

However, she acknowledged the structural gaps SMEs face in accessing financing. A N75 billion single-digit interest loan facility exists for MSMEs, she said, but entrepreneurs often miss out due to weak corporate structures and poor documentation. “If you are serious about business, you must get your framework right,” she advised.

SMEDAN, on its part, addressed the challenges of knowledge and structural barriers. Representing the director-general, Kayode Meyanbe, head of ICT at the agency, said SMEDAN was streamlining registration processes and working with development institutions to create a new curriculum tailored to SME needs.

“Many entrepreneurs lack structured training. We are working with business schools and development service providers to deliver need-based skills across the country,” he said, adding that the agency was intensifying efforts to expand access to affordable finance.

Meanwhile, Tijjani Mustapha, founder of the food chain Ahmed Shawarma, shared how survival for small businesses often hinged on adapting quickly to rising costs and human resource challenges.

“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,”he said.