Henry Whyte, a former senior operations manager at Bolt Ghana, was hired by Nigerian meal delivery startup Chowdeck on April 10, 2025, to spearhead the company’s growth into Accra, Ghana.
This action is a significant milestone in Chowdeck’s global expansion as it prepares to compete with Bolt Food in the Ghanaian market.
As Chowdeck expands its market share in a market dominated by Bolt, Whyte’s experience will be crucial. He began with Bolt 2018 as a customer service specialist and worked his way up to become operations manager in 2020 and senior operations manager in 2021.
Chowdeck’s choice to employ Whyte follows a history of stealing personnel from rivals to drive expansion. The business appointed Umar Nas’ir, a senior Bolt executive, to lead its operations in Nigeria in July 2024. In the past, Nas’ir oversaw Bolt Nigeria in more than 20 cities.
Competition and market dynamics
General manager Ali Zaryab of Bolt Food Ghana sees Chowdeck’s debut as “healthy competition” that might strengthen Bolt Food’s position. Zaryab noted, “Since we’re the only big player in the market, customer expectations are much higher,” After Glovo left the market in 2024, Bolt Food expected a major competitor.
In a market with low margins like Accra, Zaryab was also skeptical about Chowdeck’s reliance on exclusive restaurant deals with discounts and high marketing costs.
He emphasized Bolt Food’s focus on cost efficiency and wide vendor selection, stating, “We’re sensitive about unit economics. If a deal doesn’t make sense, we can always get off the table and shake hands”.
Over the past three years, Chowdeck has grown to over 1 million Nigerian users. Expanding into Ghana will challenge its capacity to adapt to a smaller, more dynamic market. According to Statista, Ghana’s meal delivery business will reach $291 million by 2029.
