One of Africa’s leading transportation and last-mile startups, Gokada has strengthened its platform to provide food delivery, e-commerce and ride hailing in a new app as it crosses US$100 million in annualized transaction value. The startup which just announced crossing the one million food delivery and ecommerce orders on behalf of over 30,000 merchants in the last 12 months alone, has expressed great optimism that with the launch of its Super App, it will exceed expectations earlier than predicted.
Growth at the company is accelerating, as Gokada has grown its volume >3x in the last 6 months. With increasing internet penetration and ease of mobile payments, the ecommerce sector in Nigeria is set to grow and last mile delivery is set to drive this even further.
Gokada is looking to serve this growing market with expansions from its current base in Lagos, across multiple cities in Nigeria, including Abuja, Port Harcourt, Ibadan and Ogun. Gokada plans to leverage its recent NIPOST license for cross-country courier and logistics services as it expands across the country.
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The company’s new CEO Nikhil Goel said that “The ecommerce and delivery market in Nigeria is growing at an exponential rate and will be worth >US$20 billion over the next few years.
Recalling similar growth experience while working at Zomato in India, he said that “much like in India and our counterparts in other emerging markets, Gokada is building a transport infrastructure from the bottom up, using well-trained riders, powered by technology, to connect businesses large and small with a consumer base in its millions”.
“This launch is core to our objective of positioning Gokada at the center of Nigeria’s e-commerce and delivery revolution”.
In addition to the launch of the Gokada Super App and its multi-city expansion plans, Gokada is also strengthening its Senior Management team, with the recent appointment of Dika Oho as VP Product, who was previously Director of Developer Growth at Andela and will lead Gokada’s product development.
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Gokada’s expansion will see the creation of new jobs, with the addition of thousands of new G-pilots, the largest last mile delivery fleet size in Lagos. As well as significantly expanding its last-mile delivery offering, Gokada will also reintroduce its popular ride-hailing service in cities where licenses are available, initially starting with Ogun and Ibadan.
As the company expands its service offering, by providing a reliable and seamless same day delivery service for thousands more businesses across Nigeria, the Gokada Super App, available on Android and iOS, has been developed so customers will have enhanced discovery of key services and products, can access all Gokada pilots at the touch of a button, rate the service instantly and choose single or multi point deliveries.
For the thousands of businesses who rely on the Gokada Super App to fulfill deliveries, they will have access to thousands of pilots, be able to create easy order management, use API integration to create and cancel orders, estimate delivery charges, and receive status updates straight from their mobile device, as well as select route optimization to reduce delivery costs. Gokada currently works with the likes of Eden, Krispy Kreme and Sooyah Bistro, and will continue to build out its technology and G-pilot infrastructure to support Nigeria’s growing business community.
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Nikhil Goel concludes, “The past year has shown us all – whether it be for general use or for business continuity – just how much we rely on delivery services to fulfill daily needs. Business is changing, and the Gokada Super App has been designed with that very consideration in mind – keeping customers and businesses connected and updated at all times throughout the delivery process. We are excited to be leading and growing this market segment in Nigeria, delivering a service that we believe will be the backbone and catalyst for the future of commerce in Africa”.
Kelechi Deca
Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry