After the unceremonious ban of motorcycle ride-hailing services in Lagos, startups in the business either shut down or pivoted. ORide was shut down, MAXNG intensified its logistics business and now produces electric vehicles with the support of the UK government and Gokada started its delivery services. Only Safeboda decided to go to Ibadan where it has found relative success.
Now, Safeboda would soon have a competitor in the ride-hailing business in Ibadan as Gokada has announced that it plans to resume ride-hailing later in the year. The Nigeria-based last-mile delivery, logistics and transportation startup stated this in a press release.
The decision to roll out its food delivery (GFood) and logistics services (GSend) follows the recent successful launch of its Super App and as part of its expansion strategy.
The move according to Gokada will generate thousands of jobs for riders who can now serve the thousands of businesses that require access to a seamless last-mile logistics network in the city.
The expansion into Ibadan will also allow Gokada to build on its surging numbers of G-partners, which is a popular initiative to bring additional riders onboard who already own their own bikes, in addition to Gokada’s existing G-pilots.
Having established a strong track record in Lagos, completing more than 1.5 million deliveries on behalf of 30,000 merchants, Gokada is focused on replicating its success in Ibadan.
The company has boarded more than 100 restaurants that can now offer delivery to their customers through the Gokada GFood menu in its Super App.
Once the Super App is successfully deployed in a second city, Gokada will begin planning for further hubs in Abuja, Port Harcourt, and Ogun. This additional growth is being driven by Nigeria’s e-commerce and last-mile logistics sector which is growing at 11% per year, boosted by recent changes in shopper behaviour and demand for last-mile delivery. Since rolling out the Super App, available on Android and iOS, Gokada has recorded over 100,000 downloads and expects this growth to continue as they expand into some of Nigeria’s key cities, providing the same reliable and seamless service for thousands of more customers.
Commenting on the launch in Ibadan, Nikhil Goel, CEO of Gokada, said, “Since launching just a few months ago, the Gokada Super App has connected thousands of customers and businesses in Lagos and we are excited to bring our unparalleled service to Ibadan.
“We want to continue catalysing the transformation of Nigeria’s transport infrastructure through our ultra-reliable last-mile delivery solutions; and it is essential to have a solid foundation, particularly with our ever-improving technology, before deploying in a new location.”
The question now is will Ibadan become the new playground for motorcycle ride-hailing startups? The coming months will tell.
