On-demand delivery platform Glovo has appointed Reni Onafeko as its new Country Managing Director for Nigeria, handing her responsibility for one of the company’s fastest-growing markets as competition intensifies across the country’s digital commerce and delivery industry.
The appointment follows a leadership transition at the company’s Nigerian operation and comes after Glovo said Nigeria ended 2025 as its fastest-growing market globally.
Onafeko will be expected to build on that expansion while navigating an operating environment shaped by rising logistics costs, consumer price sensitivity and competition for restaurants, retailers and delivery partners.
Nigeria Becomes Important Glovo Market
Nigeria’s large urban population and increasing adoption of app-based services have created significant opportunities for digital delivery companies.
Platforms such as Glovo connect consumers with restaurants, supermarkets, pharmacies and other businesses while providing merchants with an additional digital sales channel.
The business model has become particularly visible in major cities, where smartphone adoption and changing consumer behaviour have supported demand for doorstep delivery.
For Glovo, Nigeria’s growth gives the market increasing strategic importance within its wider operations.
The company operates a marketplace model in which its technology connects customers, merchants and couriers, meaning growth depends not simply on attracting users but on building sufficient density across all three groups.
New MD Faces Profitability Challenge
Rapid transaction growth does not automatically translate into sustainable profitability for delivery platforms.
Companies must balance delivery fees, courier earnings, merchant commissions, promotions and technology expenses while keeping prices attractive to consumers.
Nigeria adds additional operating challenges.
Fuel and transportation costs directly affect the economics of delivery, while inflation can influence how frequently consumers order restaurant meals and other non-essential products through apps.
That means Glovo’s next stage of Nigerian growth may increasingly depend on improving operational efficiency rather than simply increasing order volumes.
Digital Delivery Creates Opportunity for Merchants
The expansion of delivery platforms has also changed how restaurants and retailers reach customers.
A small restaurant that previously depended largely on customers within its immediate neighbourhood can use a delivery platform to reach consumers across a wider area.
For established brands, digital delivery provides an additional distribution channel without requiring another physical outlet in every location.
However, merchants must also account for platform commissions and other costs when determining whether online orders remain profitable.
This relationship between platforms and merchants will remain important as Nigeria’s food-delivery market matures.
Competition Moves Beyond Food
Delivery technology is also expanding beyond restaurant meals.
Groceries, medicines, consumer products and other categories increasingly form part of the on-demand commerce model.
That gives companies an opportunity to increase the number of transactions generated by each customer while spreading their logistics infrastructure across multiple retail categories.
The companies that succeed are likely to be those capable of building reliable delivery networks while keeping costs manageable for consumers and merchants.
Leadership Change Comes at Critical Stage
Onafeko’s appointment therefore arrives as Glovo’s Nigerian operation moves from proving that consumers will use digital delivery towards demonstrating that rapid growth can become a sustainable business.
Nigeria’s position as the company’s fastest-growing market in 2025 provides a strong foundation.
But the next stage will require maintaining service quality, attracting merchants and couriers and finding the right balance between affordability and profitability.
For Nigeria’s wider technology sector, Glovo’s continued expansion also illustrates how digital platforms are becoming increasingly embedded in traditional industries such as restaurants, retail and logistics.
The delivery may happen on motorcycles, but the increasingly important infrastructure behind the transaction is digital.
