The University of Lagos has partnered food delivery platform Swoop to provide safer and more affordable food delivery services for students under a three-month pilot programme.

According to a statement, the university selected Swoop as one of two approved food delivery platforms under the programme, which seeks to address security concerns arising from the increasing number of unregistered delivery riders entering the campus.

Under the new arrangement, only registered and identifiable riders operating through the approved platforms will be allowed onto the university campus to deliver food to students.

Swoop said it would work with the university’s security unit to register and identify participating riders while collaborating with the Dean of Student Affairs to ensure that student welfare remains central to the initiative.

The Country Manager of Swoop and UNILAG alumnus, Demola Adesina, said the company shared the university’s responsibility to improve campus safety without compromising students’ access to affordable food.

“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,” Adesina said.

He added, “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.”

The pilot seeks to balance campus security with students’ growing reliance on food delivery services while improving transparency in the delivery process.

Through Swoop, students can view delivery and service charges before confirming orders and track deliveries in real time from restaurants to their destinations.

The company said its operating model would also support riders and food businesses, as riders would retain 100 per cent of their delivery fees, while merchants would pay lower platform fees and retain more value from their orders.

Restaurants would also gain access to customers beyond their immediate locations through the platform.

Adesina said the pilot would demonstrate that convenience and safety could coexist in food delivery.

“Safety and convenience should go hand in hand. This pilot allows us to demonstrate that food delivery can be convenient and affordable while still meeting the high standards of accountability expected within a university community,” he said.

He added that Swoop understood the responsibility attached to operating as an approved platform on campus and would work closely with the university throughout the pilot.

The partnership forms part of Swoop’s broader effort to expand access to on-demand delivery in Nigeria by addressing affordability, pricing transparency, trust and accountability.

The three-month pilot will enable UNILAG and Swoop to assess how a managed food delivery system can strengthen campus security while maintaining students’ access to convenient and affordable services.