Gokada cuts jobs amid a worsening economic climate in Nigeria

Gokada, a Nigerian e-mobility company, has laid off at least 54 members of its staff. On January 31, 2023, the company sent out an email to employees announcing the layoffs and asking them to resign via PeopleHum before the end of the day.

CEO, Tosin Oni confirmed the layoffs but declined to say the exact number of people who were fired. He stated that the layoffs were a result of the tough macro environment and Nigeria's worsening economy, and the company was trying to operate more efficiently.

According to sources, the company had been struggling since October 2022, and 20 employees were laid off in November.

In a virtual meeting held on January 27, 2023, employees were informed that there would be more layoffs, and the company conducted another round of layoffs on Tuesday, January 31, 2023. Affected employees worked in operations, and the company's team of around 2,500 riders remains intact.

Employees have expressed concern over the way the layoffs were conducted, saying there was no empathy from the company and they felt like they were kicked to the curb.

Oni acknowledged that the process was never easy and that there was no perfect way to handle layoffs, but it was necessary to reduce the size of the team so the company could survive. He also stated that improvements can always be made but layoffs are difficult all around.