List Of The Best Shipping Companies in Nigeria

The internet has been a revolutionary piece of technology, completely cutting out the need to ship letters from one location to another or even across borders. One thing the internet hasn’t been able to do just yet is move physical packages with nearly as much speed (or any speed at all), so we need something that can.

That’s why shipping companies are still around in Nigeria. But unlike the internet, shipping companies can be insufferable to deal with because, let’s face it, the human factor means there’ll always be errors in handling that can potentially damage or even cause you to lose your parcel or package.

You can’t fully eliminate the risks of using a shipping service, but you can minimize them by only patronizing the best shipping companies in Nigeria. If you’re wondering what they are, wonder no more, as this article will give you a couple of excellent examples to choose from.

List of the Best Shipping Companies in Nigeria

When it comes to shipping parcels and packages, nobody does it better than these 10 (and five extra) shipping companies in Nigeria.

1. FedEx Nigeria

You may already know FedEx, the insanely popular shipping company that operates in almost every country in the world and has its headquarters in the United States. Well, if you’ve been wondering if you can use it in Nigeria, it turns out that you can, as it has a Nigerian subsidiary: FedEx Nigeria.

Since 2022, FedEx has set up shop in Nigeria, offering almost every service it offers everywhere else in the world. However, Nigerians only ever consider using FedEx Nigeria when they have something to ship or receive to or from a foreign country.

For local shipping and logistics, the average Nigerian would rather stick to local shipping companies in Nigeria like GIG Logistics and Red Star Express, which makes sense from an economic standpoint.

2. Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC)

Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) is perhaps the most popular name in the Nigerian shipping space, dwarfing the likes of FedEx and DHL in popularity. The company has a simple aim: connecting Nigeria to the world by shipping cargo to and from the giant of Africa, as it has been doing since 2003.

MSC is available in over 155 countries, but the unit that serves Nigeria is MSC Nigeria. According to the company’s website, MSC Nigeria (specifically) moves over 200,000 TEUs (ten-foot equivalent units) of cargo annually, and the number is only increasing.

Mediterranean Shipping Company isn’t your best bet for local shipping; alternatives like Jumia Logistics and GIG Logistics work better for that, but if you’re trying to import cargo or ship something outside Nigeria, only a few shipping companies in Nigeria match MSC Nigeria’s efficiency and speed.

3. Jumia Logistics

You probably already know about Jumia, the Nigerian e-commerce heavyweight, but you almost certainly know nothing about Jumia Logistics, its less popular subsidiary. Jumia Logistics, as the name implies, is a shipping and logistics company that deals in nationwide package shipments, warehouse storage, and line haulage.

While Jumia Logistics isn’t among the most popular shipping companies in Nigeria among regular consumers, it’s responsible for nearly all Jumia shipments in Nigeria, automatically putting it up there with the big boys. If you’re satisfied with how Jumia handles and ships your orders, you can use the same shipping company they use: Jumia Logistics.

Shipping with Jumia is dirt-cheap: packages not exceeding 2kg cost N700 to ship, and they get to their destination in a day, maximum. Heavier orders have varying shipping costs and SLAs, but you should be paying less than most other shipping companies in Nigeria.

4. GIG Logistics

Unlike Jumia Logistics, GIG Logistics is more recognizable to the average Nigerian, thanks to the company’s years of experience shipping parcels and packages within and outside Nigeria for Nigerians. GIG Logistics offers many helpful logistics services, including domestic, corporate, overseas, and e-commerce logistics (for companies like Jumia and Konga).

GIG Logistics’ international shipping lets you import from the UK and the US but allows exports to any country in the world. Domestic shipping lets you ship from anywhere to anywhere within Nigeria, and the e-commerce shipping option allows users to operate an e-commerce platform without Jumia’s kind of in-house logistics service.

With the company’s new “Personal Shopper” service, you can now sit back and have GIG Logistics do your shopping and deliver the goods to your desktop. GIG Logistics’s wide range and reach are almost unrivaled in Nigeria’s shipping space, making them one of the best shipping companies in Nigeria.

5. Red Star PLC

Red Star PLC is also one of the most recognizable shipping companies in Nigeria, and unlike some we’ve listed earlier, it’s a local company (not a Nigerian subsidiary of an international brand). With 30 years of experience in the logistics sector, Red Star PLC is an expert in logistics, freight services, and express shipping in Nigeria.

Red Star has three subsidiaries: RS Express, RS Freight, and RS Logistics, all pieces of the giant puzzle that is Red Star PLC. The logistics arm of the business, Red Star Logistics, offers a wide variety of services, including haulage, warehousing, agro- and pharma logistics, and home and office relocation.

If you ever need freight forwarding or express shipping services, Red Star Freight and Red Star Express are there for you. Combine the three subsidiaries, and you get a company that easily fits among the best shipping companies in Nigeria.

6. Sifax Nigeria Limited

Sifax Nigeria Limited doesn’t enjoy GIG Logistics’ clout or Maersk’s ubiquity in the Nigerian shipping industry, but it’s one of the few local shipping companies in Nigeria making a name for itself. Like Red Star, it’s one big conglomerate with many subsidiaries, and Sifax Logistics and Shipping is the relevant firm for this list.

Sifax Logistics offers several services, including local and international shipping, haulage, clearing and forwarding, warehousing, and groupage. The company claims to have some very notable clients, including the Central Bank of Nigeria, a feat that would automatically make it one of the best shipping companies in Nigeria.

Since it doesn’t have the size advantage of something like MSC or even GIG Logistics, you shouldn’t expect Sifax to be among the cheapest shipping companies in Nigeria, but how it’s brave enough to compete with the heavyweights that have saturated the Nigerian shipping space is admirable.

7. Maersk Nigeria Limited

Maersk is another multinational shipping company that Nigerians have come to love and trust for both local and international shipping, even more than the local alternatives. The company was originally from Denmark, but it now operates in at least 130 countries, with Nigeria being one of them.

Like most other international shipping companies in Nigeria, it’s only active in international shipping, helping Nigerian customers with importing and exporting both containers and less-than-container-level loads.

Maersk casually describes itself as Nigeria’s largest shipping line, and while that description is likely 100% accurate, don’t take their word for it—ask anyone who consistently imports containers, and you’ll get the kind of favorable review that may sound like an ad within the context of this post. We’ll sum up that review in a few words: Maersk is one of the best shipping companies in Nigeria, period.

8. Kobo360

Kobo360 is a revolutionary shipping and logistics company that takes a whole new approach to the idea of local shipping. Instead of acquiring scores of buses or trucks and hiring drivers to deliver packages nationwide, the company partners with existing truck and bus owners to form a tech-driven delivery network that benefits both customers and transporters.

In short, Kobo360 is kind of like Uber, but for deliveries. What a genius idea!

Kobo360 claims to have over 50,000 truck owners registered on the platform, creating what’s probably the biggest delivery network on the continent. Just like Uber or Bolt, the truck owners or transporters connect with nearby customers over Kobo360’s mobile or web app, link up to collect their package, and thereafter deliver it to the customer’s specified destination for a predetermined price.

Kobo360 currently exists in 7 African countries and will likely expand, thanks to the viability of its innovative business model. However, that model also makes it nearly impossible for the company to handle international shipments, so you give one to take one here.

9. ABC Cargo Express

ABC Cargo Express is a Nigerian local shipping company that focuses on local shipping, i.e., delivering parcels to recipients within Nigeria. The company has a fleet of over 172 vehicles (according to their website) tasked with delivering your packages as quickly as possible to their destinations.

However, package and parcel delivery isn’t the only service ABC Cargo Express renders; it also offers a charter service that lets customers hire any of their trucks, dedicated dispatch riders for companies that offer home delivery services to customers, and a household moving service that helps Nigerians changing apartments with transporting the items from their old location to the new one.

ABC Cargo Express offers international shipping, but that’s only available within West African locations; so they’re not your best bet for cross-border shipping. A factor that might be responsible for ABC Cargo Express’s rapid growth is how relevant their services are to the average Nigerian; that’s the edge they have over multinational firms like Maersk and FedEx.

10. AB Logistics

AB Logistics may sound conspicuously similar to ABC Cargo Express, but I promise they’re not the same company, not even close. For one, ABC Cargo Express’s international shipping is only available within West African borders, but AB Logistics ships anywhere in the world. Also, AB Logistics doesn’t offer the truck charter service, so it’s pretty clear both companies are different.

Apart from international shipping, AB Logistics offers local shipping for as low as N1,800, which is more expensive than we’ve seen, but still relatively affordable. The company also offers packaging, warehousing, and haulage services for customers who may require them.

As an extra, the company has a tool on its website that lets you calculate roughly how much your shipping would cost you with AB Logistics. With its send anything to anywhere philosophy, it would be a mistake to exclude this firm from any list of the biggest shipping companies in Nigeria.

Honorable Mentions

• Derron Group
• Beta Shipping Limited
• UPS Nigeria
• Fortune Global Shipping and Logistics Limited
• African Courier Express (ACE)

FAQs

Conclusion

Shipping doesn’t have to be hard, and it wouldn’t be if you chose your shipping company properly. Now that we’ve provided you with a list of the best shipping companies in Nigeria, there’s no excuse for you to make the wrong choice.

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