Gbenga Ilemobayo
Glovo, a leading technology platform, and other stakeholders in the e-commerce ecosystem have called for stronger collaboration to promote inclusive growth for small and medium-sized businesses and drive innovation across Nigeria’s e-commerce landscape.
This was the submission from speakers at the second edition of Glovo’s flagship industry event, Future of Commerce Summit, held on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, at the Landmark Events Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos.
The event brought together key stakeholders from Nigeria’s technology, commerce and public sectors, including policymakers and entrepreneurs.
Speakers examined how digital platforms were enabling businesses to expand their reach, improve efficiency and remain competitive in an increasingly dynamic environment.
The President/Chairman of Council, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Leye Kupoluyi, represented by the Vice President of the chamber, Opeyemi Aminu, said the Nigerian economy was at a defining moment, with commerce being fundamentally reshaped by technology, data and connectivity.
According to Kupoluyi, commerce is moving beyond physical boundaries into an intelligent, platform-driven ecosystem that is transforming how businesses operate and how consumers engage, while creating value across markets.
In a keynote address on the theme of the summit, ‘Pioneering the next era of commerce in Africa’, the General Manager, Glovo Nigeria, Reni Onafeko, said the summit reinforced the company’s role as a growth enabler for SMBs by helping businesses transition into the digital economy while unlocking new revenue streams and opportunities.
Onafeko added that by fostering collaboration across sectors, Glovo was contributing to the development of a more resilient and inclusive commerce ecosystem in Nigeria.
She noted that the company remained focused on building the largest on-demand multi-category platform to help create an economy where partners could lead and thrive.
“Future of Commerce 2.0 reflects our commitment to building a more inclusive and innovation-driven commerce ecosystem in Nigeria. At Glovo, we are focused on empowering SMBs with the tools, technology and access they need to grow, scale, and compete effectively in a rapidly evolving digital economy. By fostering collaboration across the public and private sectors, we are creating opportunities that drive sustainable growth and long-term impact,” she said.
In his remarks, the Director General/Chief Executive Officer of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Dr Charles Odii, represented by the Coordinator, Industrial Development Centre, Olusola Oluwole-Adeilupo, said the on-demand economy, represented by platforms, logistics networks and digital payment systems such as Glovo, was no longer a niche disruption but the new architecture of trade.
Commending Glovo for convening the landmark gathering for the second consecutive year, Odii said the summit’s continuity reflected a sustained investment in the vision of a thriving, digitally enabled commerce ecosystem in Nigeria, rather than a seasonal campaign.
He noted that although businesses constitute the backbone of the Nigerian economy, they continue to face structural challenges, including limited access to finance, constrained market reach, low technological adoption and insufficient integration into the formal digital economy.
The summit featured three panel sessions with sub-themes: Powering Commerce: The Systems, the Infrastructure and the In-Between; The Next Frontier: AI & Automation; and Running a Profitable Food Business in Today’s Nigeria.
It also included fireside chats titled, ‘Winning the Nigerian Consumer in the New Digital Era’ and ‘Glovo Around the World’, featuring Glovo’s Africa Regional Director, Dima Rasnovsky.
Speakers and panellists at the event included the General Manager, E-commerce, Food Concepts Plc (Chicken Republic), Oyindamola de-Medeiros; CMO and Co-founder, PiggyTech, Joshua Chibueze; CEO and Co-founder, Sunfi, Rotimi Thomas; Chief Executive Officer, GIG Logistics, Sebastine Osika; Group Chief Operating Officer, Paga Group, Opeyemi Oyinloye; Co-founder, ORDA Africa, Olakunle Ogungbamila; Chief Executive Officer, Kaddi, Paddy Mark; Chief Technology Officer, Kaddi, Afolabi Ayoola; and Chief Executive Officer, Tyms, Ibrahim Adepoju, among others.
The summit also featured award presentations to outstanding partners in the food and Q-commerce categories.
