UNILAG Partners Swoop on Safer, Affordable Food Delivery for Students

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

Swoop has been selected by the University of Lagos (UNILAG) to operate under a new campus programme designed to strengthen student safety, security and rider accountability while preserving access to convenient and affordable food delivery.

The company is one of two firms chosen by the prestigious educational institution for a three-month pilot, adopting a more controlled approach to food delivery on campus in response to concerns about the growing number of unregistered delivery riders entering the university and the implications for security, student welfare and campus order.

The three-month pilot will provide a framework for assessing how a managed food delivery system can strengthen campus security while preserving students’ access to convenient and affordable food delivery.

Under the new system, food delivery access will be limited to a pool of registered and identifiable riders operating through the university’s approved platforms.

As part of the partnership, Swoop will work closely with the university’s security unit to ensure participating riders are registered, identifiable and accountable. The company will also collaborate with the Dean of Student Affairs to ensure student welfare remains central to the programme.

The pilot reflects UNILAG’s effort to balance two important needs: maintaining a safe and orderly campus while recognising that food delivery has become an important convenience for many students.

Beyond security and rider accountability, the partnership is also designed to give students a more transparent delivery experience. Through Swoop, customers can see applicable delivery and service charges before confirming an order and track their order in real time from the restaurant to its destination.

Swoop’s operating model is designed to create value across the delivery ecosystem. Riders retain 100 per cent of their delivery fees, while merchants benefit from lower platform fees, allowing them to retain more value from their orders. Restaurants can also access customers beyond their immediate locations through the platform.

For Swoop, being selected for the UNILAG programme is an opportunity to demonstrate how technology and responsible delivery operations can work together to make food delivery safer and more accountable without sacrificing the convenience students value.

The Country Manager for Swoop, Mr Demola Adesina, said, “We are pleased to have been selected by UNILAG as one of the two platforms supporting this important programme.

“The university has been very clear that student safety and security are the priority, and we share that responsibility. Having studied at UNILAG myself, I’m deeply invested in creating a solution that makes our campus safer and more convenient.

“Our focus is to ensure that every Swoop rider operating on campus is properly registered, identifiable and accountable, while giving students continued access to convenient and affordable food delivery.”

Commenting further, Mr Adesina, an alumnus of UNILAG, stated that, “Safety and convenience should go hand in hand. This pilot gives us an opportunity to demonstrate that food delivery can be convenient and affordable while still meeting the high standards of accountability expected within a university community. We understand the responsibility that comes with being an approved platform and are committed to working closely with UNILAG throughout the programme.”