Jumia celebrates 10 years of e-commerce in Nigeria

Jumia celebrates 10 years of e-commerce in Nigeria

Nigeria’s leading e-commerce platform, Jumia, commemorated this Wednesday its 10 years of e-commerce in Nigeria with an Anniversary Luncheon. The celebration, which was held at the Eko Hotels & Suites, Lagos, was attended by key stakeholders of Jumia’s ecosystem including consumers, sellers, partners and communities.

With the anniversary themed, ‘10 years together’, the event presented an opportunity for Jumia to host and honour its key stakeholders for playing a key role in shaping the e-commerce industry in Nigeria over the past decade. Guests were taken down memory lane with a documentary which captured the rich history and far-reaching vision of the company from inception. In addition to this, three panel sessions were held featuring executives from partner/seller companies. Topics explored the future of the logistics’ sector in Nigeria, e-commerce as the future of retail in Nigeria and the evolution of payment systems.

In his opening remark, the CEO, Jumia Nigeria, Massimiliano Spalazzi said, “It is a real pleasure to be celebrating our first 10-year anniversary today, I am very proud and emotional of what we achieved all together. We started from a small house in Lekki and when we started, we didn’t know what would have happened next, but we knew very well what we wanted to achieve, which today still stands as the number one company value at Jumia – to improve people’s lives through the internet and enabling our partners, vendors and logistics agencies to do better and do more business together with customers”.

“We are very proud of what we have built, thanks to our customers and employees. When we look at the next ten years, we look with confidence. We want to focus more and more on customer needs and ensure we are adapting the market demands,” he added.

Appreciation awards were also given to 5 stakeholders whose collaboration and unwavering support have been significant to the growth and success of Jumia in Nigeria. The categories include, Top Logistics Partner, Advertiser of the Year, Most Collaborative Partner, Best Food Partner and Longest Serving Vendor. The event concluded with the donation of more than 2,000 motorcycle helmets to Jumia Delivery Associates (riders) in Nigeria as part of its Safe and Affordable Helmet Programme with Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA).

In her keynote address and commenting on the contributions of Jumia to e-commerce growth and the Nigerian economy, Dr. Chinyere Almona, Director General, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said, “It is great news today that the coming of Jumia into Nigeria ten years ago, revolutionised and popularised e-commerce in Nigeria. The performance of Jumia which is hinged on the philosophy of quality service delivery and value for money has positioned the company in a leadership position and reference point within the industry. Your impact on the Nigerian economy is multidimensional and profound. Jumia is not only the largest e-commerce platform in Nigeria, but the most innovative providing trading opportunities for thousands of sellers to connect with millions of consumers in Africa. On a joyous note, I wish you a great 10 years ahead”.

Also speaking, Jumia Co-CEO and Co-Founder, Jeremy Hodara, said, “Nigeria has always had a special place in the business of Jumia; this is where we started, and we always said if we can make it here, we can make it anywhere in Africa, which has proven true. With that in mind, we don’t take for granted where we are today. Ten years ago, no one believed e-commerce could work, but we are here today and what we have always been proud of at Jumia is that we are a marketplace. We don’t do everything ourselves, we do it with our partners – we are not only proud of where Jumia is but where the entire ecosystem of e-commerce is in Nigeria.”

Over the past 10 years of its journey in Nigeria, Jumia has partnered with both international and local brands offering thousands of products to the Nigerian consumer. Jumia’s impact on communities, women entrepreneurs, youths and the economy remain evident. The company has been a huge employer of labour in the country directly and indirectly as there are over 1,000 employees within its workforce, more than 10,000 independent sales agents and over 350 3PL partners. The company has a strong passion and commitment to women empowerment as over 40% of its employees are women and more than 50% of Jumia sellers are women closing the gender gap through e-commerce.

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