Lamide Akinola, Glovo Nigeria’s managing director, has stepped down after a three-year tenure. The former head of growth, Reni Onafeko, has filled the role since February 2026.
Akinola joined the company in 2021 as the Head of Q-commerce for Sub-Saharan Africa, where she helped scale dark stores and expanded the digital marketplace for groceries and retail before she was promoted to country head on July 1, 2023.
“Building this business into an $80 million operation and Glovo’s fastest-growing market has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my career,” she said in a post on LinkedIn.
She added that this phase strengthened her belief in Africa’s opportunities and the talent that could turn them into further opportunities.
During her tenure, Akinola expanded Glovo’s footprint across Nigerian cities like Lagos, Abuja, and Port Harcourt. In that time, she led a shift toward “Q-commerce” (groceries, retail, and pharmaceuticals), resulting in a 76% year-on-year growth in gross merchandise value (GMV) and enabling riders to grow average monthly earnings two to three times above the national minimum wage.
Since its launch in 2021, Glovo says it has invested more than ₦54 billion in the country, which it declared its fastest-growing market globally in 2026.
The Spanish delivery platform says it has facilitated more than 40 million deliveries in Nigeria, while the economic value generated for businesses on its platform more than doubled in the past year.
Glovo has expanded beyond food delivery into groceries, pharmaceuticals and other retail categories, building a network of restaurants, shops and independent couriers on its platform. It has also sought to deepen its ties with small businesses through initiatives such as Glovo Academy, which has provided in-person training to hundreds of SMEs.
The company’s growth comes despite a challenging operating environment marked by high inflation, currency volatility and logistics constraints. Glovo has nevertheless continued investing, putting more than ₦8.5 billion into Nigeria in 2025 alone
Last updated: October 6, 2026
