Rain, sleet and dark of night aren’t the only delivery challenges in Nigeria.
The West African nation also suffers from a lack of ZIP Codes, poor urban planning and barely operable GPS.
But a new company, Metro Africa Xpress, is using technology to overcome these obstacles.
“It’s very hard to deliver products in the last mile in Africa. It’s not like New York City, where it’s easy to [find locations],” co-founder Adetayo Bamiduro told National Public Radio this month.
Bamiduro helped develop a mobile app that incorporates Google Maps and customized software. His company’s motorcycle couriers use the app to tag locations without addresses to make future deliveries easier.
Metro Africa Xpress’s 23 couriers deliver more than 150 packages a day, often within three hours. Couriers receive $200 a month and advice on how to save money.
“The only way to eliminate poverty is to give people an opportunity to earn their money, not get handouts or freebies,” says Bamiduro.
The company’s cool uniforms are also popular, according to co-founder Chinedu Azodoh.
“Drivers tell us, ‘People love how we look and want to take pictures with us. They tell us we look like RoboCop on the street,’” he says.