Chowdeck acquires Mira, a restaurant management and point-of-sale startup, to deepen its role in Africa’s food ecosystem. Chowdeck, best known for its quick on-demand food delivery, now aims to power the backend operations of the very vendors it works with.
With over a million customers, 3,000 riders, and operations in eight Nigerian cities, Chowdeck—founded in 2021—has established a strong position in the country’s delivery market. It recently launched in Ghana, where it says it is already on pace to reach a milestone that reportedly took a year to accomplish in Nigeria: 1,000 deliveries in Accra within two months.
Chowdeck’s acquisition of Mira clearly signals that it is no longer content being merely a delivery platform. Instead, the company’s goal is to become a full-stack solution for food vendors and restaurants—and perhaps even more.
Mira, founded by Ted Oladele (a former VP of Design at Flutterwave), offers a comprehensive suite of tools that help restaurants operate more efficiently. Mira’s platform serves over 500 businesses, offering everything from digital menus and order management to inventory tracking, sales monitoring, and point-of-sale hardware. While restaurant staff can manage operations through a centralized system, customers can place orders and make payments by scanning QR codes.
Although the financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, Chowdeck CEO Femi Aluko said the acquisition would help the company resolve long-standing challenges around inventory and vendor-side efficiency. “We’ve historically focused on the customer side,” Aluko noted. “But as we grow, it’s become essential to pay closer attention to our vendors—restaurants, supermarkets, and pharmacies alike.”
With this, Chowdeck acquires Mira not only for its software but also for its talent. A few Mira team members will join Chowdeck to develop products specifically designed for the food and hospitality industries, while Ted Oladele will assume the role of Head of Product.
This transition comes at a time when Africa’s delivery market is becoming increasingly competitive. Global players like Glovo are expanding their presence across the continent. Chowdeck sees the acquisition of Mira as vertical integration rather than simple diversification. Instead of focusing solely on last-mile delivery, Chowdeck now aims to control a larger share of the value chain.
Until now, Chowdeck’s vendor-facing tools were limited to order fulfillment and delivery logistics. Mira changes that. It enables the company to offer a unified platform that supports everything from back-end inventory management to front-of-house ordering. The goal? To position Chowdeck as Africa’s leading provider of digital infrastructure for small and medium-sized food businesses.
That said, this new direction won’t be without its challenges. Transitioning from a consumer-focused delivery company to an enterprise software provider requires a shift in mindset, internal resources, and execution. Software adoption cycles are longer, integration demands are more complex, and customer support expectations are higher. Chowdeck will need to scale its team and processes to meet these evolving needs.
One potential advantage is the trust it has already built. Restaurants that currently use Chowdeck’s delivery platform may be more inclined to adopt its expanded suite of services. In a market where switching costs can be significant, this integrated approach could give the company a crucial edge.
Finally, the acquisition raises a broader question: if Chowdeck now sees itself as a tech partner to its vendors, how far will it go? The company already supports groceries and pharmaceuticals alongside food. Could this be the first step in a larger effort to reimagine the supply chains it powers?
