Archive · 16 Aug 2026

Africa's home delivery apps can learn from Indian startups

Africa's home delivery apps can learn from Indian startups

Many people in African cities like Nairobi and Lagos live in areas that do not have proper street addresses.

This makes it very hard for food and package delivery apps to find their customers' homes.

In the past, delivery companies in India had the exact same problem.

Indian startups figured out clever ways to solve it.

They built smart systems that learn from every successful and failed delivery.

The systems remember landmarks, like 'the blue gate past the second speed bump,' to guess where someone lives.

They also used machine learning, a type of computer program that gets better the more it learns.

Instead of waiting for the government to create addresses, they made their own smart maps.

The report says African delivery companies should do the same thing.

It also says they should look for customers in smaller towns, not just big cities.

Sources