Bolt Food to exit Nigeria in December

Nigerians will no longer be able to place food orders on the Bolt Food app as Bolt is shutting down its food delivery service in the country from December 7, 2023. The company announced its decision as a move to streamline its resources and maximise its overall efficiency.

Bolt, which currently offers food delivery services in 16 countries and 33 cities across the world, launched Bolt Food in Nigeria in October 2021 after increased demand for food delivery services during the pandemic. Since its launch in the country, Bolt Food claims it has partnered with over 10,000 restaurants, delivered over one million meals, and onboarded 23,000 agents and 12,000 merchants.

When Bolt Food launched, its significant competitors were Jumia Food and Gokada before new competitors like Glovo, Chowdeck, and Buyfood appeared in the $834.7 million Nigerian food delivery market.

“At this time, we have made the difficult decision to discontinue our food delivery operations in Nigeria due to business reasons,” the firm said in a statement.

Food delivery industry faces several challenges, including managing customer expectations, improper food handling, fluctuating market prices, and logistical challenges, despite many Nigerians fancying eating out daily.