ComTech Minister Extols Jumia’s e-Commerce Strives

Mrs. Omobola Johnson, minister of Communication Technology has applauded the e-commerce drives made by Jumia.com in her first year in Nigeria, stressing that the Company has registered the country’s presence in the comity of e-commerce nations.

Founded in June 2012 by two Harvard Business School Alumni, Jumia launched with a vision of being the largest retailer in Africa with a shopping experience that is convenient, safe and second to none. Alexa.com, a globally renowned web information service, had recently rated Jumia.com.ng as the leading and most traffic e-commerce company in Nigeria.

Delivering a keynote address at Jumia’s one year anniversary in Lagos on Friday, Johnson identified that Jumia.com is playing key role in finding lasting solution to fears among Nigeria to embrace digital marketing.

According to her, although Nigeria’s local information communication technology industry has received tremendous boost in the recent past; unfortunately, it is still dominated by foreign skills and brands, noting that Jumia with various initiatives has shown that potentials inherent in e-commerce can deepen job creation, e-payment and digitization.

“Jumia has done prettily well in the past one year, growing from nothing to something amazing. The industry, we know now can generate millions of jobs. And as a government it is our hope that the multi-million naira potentials of this industry will be tapped into in no distant time,” she said.

He however noted that e-commerce requires that issue of cyber security should be taken serious, adding that the Ministry is determined to innovate and requires handshake of diverse internet security and forensic intelligence to contain cyber traitors.

Earlier in a welcome address Tunde Kehinde and Raphael Afaedor, co-founders and managing directors, Jumia Nigeria, said the company welcomes 100,000 unique visitors daily, making it the fourth (4th) most viewed local content site in the country, with a daily subscriber base of over 250,000 people, served over 500,000 customers. Also, Jumia’s social media community fans have hit 500,000.

Jumia is currently headquartered in its brand new state of the art 90,000 square feet e-commerce campus located in Lagos. With rapid growth in delivered across Nigeria, the Company further introduced pick-up stations across six (6) locations in the country with many more in the offing.

The co-founder also pointed that Jumia.com, “is Nigeria’s number one shopping destination offering customers everything from fashion, consumer electronics and home appliances, phones and mobile devices, books, baby’s toys and gifts, fragrances, beauty products, games, event tickets and a broader range of products”.

They added that Jumia starting with three staff and today powered by 500 staff across Nigeria it is revolutionizing Nigeria retail landscape by offering a platform where customers across the Continent can shop the widest assortment of quality merchandize at affordable prices.

“Of course, we have become renowned as a job creation engine and place for building the nation’s next set of entrepreneurs,” the co-managing directors said.

Kehinde and Afaedor added that Jumia’s fast and convenient delivery, best in class customer service team of talented employees’ position is to become the best retailers on the Africa continent.

The anniversary attended by crème de crème in the e-commerce, e-payment, IT security and government officials also witnessed Jumia’s fashion cocktail.