Food delivery startup Swoop is making an ambitious bet on Nigeria, positioning Africa’s largest city as the launchpad for its continental expansion plans despite entering one of the continent’s most competitive delivery markets.
The Eswatini-born company, which recently raised $7.3 million in seed funding from international investors, has begun operations in Lagos and says its immediate goal is simple: win Lagos before attempting to conquer the rest of Africa.
“We are number one in Eswatini right now, and our goal is to be number one in Nigeria as well. If we hit that goal, it becomes easier to go across the continent. Nigeria is an important market to us,” Demola Adesina, Swoop’s country manager, said in an exclusive interview with BusinessDay.
Read also: Teen Thiel Fellow raises $7.3m to launch Swoop in Lagos
The strategy reflects a growing trend among African technology startups that increasingly view Nigeria’s more than 220 million people as the ultimate test market. Success in Nigeria often provides credibility, scale and operational experience needed to expand into other African countries.
