We've been at the forefront of e-commerce, setting trends, driving adoption across the market - Jumia Nigeria CEO

Temidayo Ojo is the chief executive officer of Jumia Nigeria, appointed in July 2025 to lead Jumia’s largest and most strategic market. In this interview with BLESSING ADIMABUA he discusses growth and innovation in e-commerce, the outlook for 2026, evolving Nigerian shopping habits, the role of JForce in Jumia’s growth strategy, Jumia’s pioneering introduction of Black Friday, and other key industry issues. Excerpts:

As we begin 2026, what is your outlook for Nigeria’s economy and the e-commerce sector, and what key lessons from 2025 will shape Jumia’s strategy?

We have a very positive outlook for Nigeria in 2026. Towards the end of last year, key macroeconomic indicators began to stabilise, including pricing, inflation, interest rates, and the exchange rate. These improvements are supporting consumer purchasing power, and we are already seeing consumer confidence start to return.

As a B2C business that closely follows consumer behaviour, we expect this improving sentiment to translate into higher and more frequent spending through e-commerce in 2026. We are preparing for growth.

One key lesson from 2025 is that the Nigerian consumer is highly sophisticated and value-conscious. In response, we will continue to double down on e-commerce’s core strengths: transparent pricing, affordability, wide product assortment, and reliable delivery, to deliver the best possible shopping experience.

How does Jumia plan to lead the next phase of e-commerce growth in Africa, rather than simply reacting to market struggles?

Jumia has always been at the forefront of innovation and e-commerce penetration in Africa. We’ve helped shape consumer behaviour over the years, a clear example is Black Friday, which Jumia introduced to Africa over 14 years ago. We intend to continue leading by focusing on the key pillars required for sustainable e-commerce growth, particularly in Nigeria.

A major focus is adoption. E-commerce penetration in Africa and Nigeria remains relatively low, which also highlights the significant opportunity ahead. We are driving adoption by bringing more people into the digital economy through initiatives like JForce and partnerships with government and other stakeholders.

We are also expanding access by onboarding more cities and locations. As part of our 2026 strategy, we plan aggressive expansion of our already extensive logistics network, alongside continued investment in our people, processes, and technology.

Our goal is to continuously raise the benchmark for customer experience, delivering excellence across the entire e-commerce journey, from platform access and ordering to delivery and after-sales support. This end-to-end experience remains a key investment focus as we head into 2026.

Black Friday has become a major event in Nigeria’s retail calendar. What does this signify for Jumia and the broader e-commerce landscape?

For years, the big question in e-commerce has been whether Africa is ready. The success of initiatives like Black Friday over the past few years has clearly answered that – Africa is ready.

The more important question has been whether e-commerce itself is ready for Africa. Many players tried to apply a Western playbook that didn’t fully account for local realities. What we’ve done differently is build a model tailored to the African and Nigerian context, designed around the everyday consumer.

This has proven that e-commerce is well-suited for the continent. With a young population, rising mobile penetration, and increasing digital literacy, the future of retail in Africa will be driven by e-commerce.

For the broader ecosystem, this provides strong validation that long-term investment in e-commerce is not only viable, but also good for business.

What is the role of JForce Network in connecting digital commerce to local communities, and how critical are your agents to this strategy?

JForce plays a critical role in connecting digital commerce with local communities. Our agents are hired locally, making them familiar and trusted faces within their communities. They serve as a key trust channel that strengthens the e-commerce ecosystem.

Beyond trust, JForce helps bridge the gap between digitally active consumers and those who are semi-offline or fully offline. Through on-the-ground engagement, they improve digital literacy by educating and onboarding people into the e-commerce experience.

Working alongside government and local stakeholders, this field-based approach has proven to be highly effective in expanding access and driving adoption across the country.

What is your stance on foreign e-commerce companies operating in Nigeria without registration, without paying taxes, and without regulatory oversight? Do such practices undercut Nigerian businesses, and what should regulators do to address this?

At Jumia, we welcome competition because it strengthens the ecosystem, drives innovation, and keeps everyone on their toes. What’s essential, however, is a fair and level playing field. Rules must be clear and applied equally to all players.

Currently, some non-resident operators can bypass rules that local players must follow, which undermines fairness and offers little value to the local economy. Large companies like ours also have a responsibility to support the communities where we operate, and fairness includes ensuring everyone contributes.

We trust that regulators understand these gaps and are working to close them, creating a level playing field that benefits all players and, ultimately, the communities and the country.

How does Jumia ensure that its push for digital inclusion fully respects Nigeria’s data protection laws under the NDPA?

I think this is very relevant today, as people are becoming increasingly aware and concerned about how their information is collected, used, and protected online. At Jumia, we take this responsibility very seriously. As a company listed on the New York Stock Exchange, we are held to very strict compliance and regulatory standards. One key example is the global GDPR framework, which we fully implement across all our operations. In addition, we comply with country-specific legislation that stems from GDPR, ensuring that data protection standards are applied locally as well.

To uphold these standards, we have made deliberate investments in our systems, processes, and technology to safeguard the information we collect from consumers during every e-commerce transaction. But it’s not just about technology; we also pay close attention to how data is handled internally. For instance, we have “Chinese walls” within the organisation, so sensitive information in certain departments or functions cannot be accessed by others without proper authorisation. This approach minimises risk and ensures that consumer data is handled responsibly at every level.

Beyond that, we continually update ourselves on evolving legislation and emerging best practices.

Our goal is to stay ahead of potential risks and ensure that there are no gaps in our protections.

As a result of these efforts, to my knowledge, we have had no incidents of data breaches in the past five to six years. Protecting consumer information isn’t just about compliance for us; it’s embedded in our operations and is central to maintaining trust with the people who use our platform.

Jumia recently partnered with the Federal Government to promote digital inclusion, what tangible benefits can Nigerians expect from this collaboration?

I think we can all agree that technology has become both an enabler and a catalyst for growth in Africa, and Nigeria in particular. If you look at social media, startups, and the broader tech ecosystem, we’re really seeing years of the digital divide being bridged between us and the West. Technology is helping us catch up faster than ever before.

One of the key drivers in this part of the world has been mobile penetration. Most people don’t have access to computers, so smartphones are the main way people interact with technology. Alongside that, digital literacy, people being comfortable using tech, is another critical enabler for economic and social growth.

That’s why collaboration is so important. Working with partners, including the government, allows us to amplify efforts to improve digital literacy and expand digital access. As more people become digitally engaged, we see a direct impact on e-commerce adoption, online transactions, and overall participation in the digital economy.

At Jumia, we’re fully committed to supporting these initiatives, helping to drive digital literacy, improve access, and accelerate e-commerce adoption across Nigeria. It’s about creating a more connected, digitally empowered country.

As the CEO, how do you plan to grow Jumia’s market share in Nigeria while ensuring full compliance with local laws and maintaining a level playing field for Nigerian merchants?

At Jumia, compliance has never been a challenge because we’ve always taken a long-term view of the markets we operate in, including Nigeria. From day one, we built the business bottom-up with strong legal, financial, tech, HR, and regulatory compliance structures across all markets. Compliance and fair play are embedded in our DNA. We operate a level playing field for all sellers, giving equal access to tools and support across our entire seller ecosystem. Our business is fully tailored to local regulations and market realities.

With those fundamentals firmly in place, our focus today is growth. That means driving digital penetration and literacy, expanding into more cities, working with the government, and onboarding local suppliers and SMEs. Our goal is to build a complete retail ecosystem so customers can find anything they want on Jumia.

Just as “Google it” became a phrase, our vision is for “Just Jumia it” to mean buying anything you need. Compliance is already built in; growth is now our priority.

Looking ahead, what is next for Jumia in Nigeria under your leadership?
2025 was quite an interesting year. I think that’s the year we finally started to emerge out of the macroeconomic crisis or conditions in Nigeria and stabilise a lot of things in the business.

Looking to 2026, my goal and my ambition are to drive or to scale the growth at Jumia. If you look at our penetration, we are only starting to scratch the surface of the potential that exists for e-commerce in this part of the world, particularly in Nigeria. So, my goal is to make sure that Jumia becomes the number one destination for all e-commerce and retail in general in Nigeria.