E-Business
Jumia and the Project of Increasing e-commerce Connection with Consumers in Rural Nigeria
Despite the challenges at its inception, many would agree that much progress has been made in the Nigerian e-commerce industry. The current reality is that there’s been major developments to what has been achieved over the past ten years.
Current data suggests that more and more people are now onboarding the e-commerce train for their daily needs. The hardest sceptics are beginning to have a taste of what online shopping entails.
There is clear evidence of an upward shift in e-commerce momentum in the country. Currently, urban cities are becoming a beehive of e-commerce activities, with most small businesses now showcasing their wares online.
Likewise, several logistics brands are springing up to meet the delivery demands of sellers and consumers. The sight of delivery vans and bikes are now common in major Nigerian cities such as Lagos, Rivers and Abuja.
Also, one can begin to say the same for rural towns, which have recently seen an influx of e-commerce activities, especially through Jumia’s JForce team, designated pickup stations and logistic partner services. With this, more items are now being delivered to remote areas in the country.
The trend is also reflected in the customer service experience on these platforms. Being the market leader, Jumia gets most customer traction; this is evident in testimonials from customers such as Blessing Zena, who resides in Benin, Edo State, “I’ve actually been shopping with Jumia for like six years.
I shop on Jumia because I always get what I order. I bought a gown online on Jumia, and I wore it to church. People liked the gown and thought it was very fine. So they asked me to order the same gown for them, which I did. And when it came, they all liked their gowns,” said Blessing.
More important is the improvement in service delivery by key industry role players. The early days of online shopping were fraught with complaints: Late delivery of orders, wrong items and payment glitches were prevalent at the time. Though these issues are still being experienced at intervals, it is fair to say that online platforms have put in the effort to reduce such occurrences.
And in cases where this happens, measures have been put in place for a speedy refund process. These efforts are also being appreciated by consumers. “When there’s any mixup like if I order a shirt that is not my size, I can return it, and they will not reject it.
“They will do something about it. And if I pay and maybe what I ordered is out of stock, they always refund my money. I don’t have to stress myself before I get my money,” Blessing said.
E-commerce brands are also improving their own service delivery and consumer experience capabilities, this is evident with their pick-up stations.
A consumer is able to walk in and pick their item with a station nearby. This initiative brings service closer to consumers and ultimately results in positive returns for small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
Though the e-commerce industry still has a lot to improve on, the work being put in by the major industry players such as Jumia gives hope of a good future for e-commerce services in Nigeria.
Nigeria recently launched a new joint case team to step up its response to cybercrimes that affect people and businesses at home and abroad.
The ‘Joint Case Team on Cybercrime’ brings together Nigeria’s key justice and security agencies to work as one, making it easier to detect, investigate, and prosecute digital offences.
It is supported by the UK National Crime Agency, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, and the Commonwealth Secretariat, as part of a wider effort to promote international cooperation on cybercrime.
Speaking at the launch in Abuja, Prince Lateef Fagbemi SAN, minister of justice and attorney general of the federation described the initiative as “a bold and transformative stride in Nigeria’s justice system.”
He said that although Nigeria has a national legal framework to address cyber offences, laws alone are not enough.
Nigeria is among the countries most affected by cybercrime around the world, with increasing financial losses.
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced the establishment of an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Division within its ICT Department.
This marks a significant stride toward enhancing electoral integrity, efficiency, and innovation in Nigeria’s democratic process.
This decision was reached at the Commission’s regular weekly meeting held in Abuja, following a series of consultations and engagements on the global and continental impact of AI on elections.
In a statement issued by Sam Olumekun, national commissioner and chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, INEC underscored that the growing relevance of AI in electoral matters necessitated a proactive institutional framework to manage both the risks and opportunities it presents.
“Our interactions with electoral bodies across Africa highlighted both the risks of AI—such as fake news and content manipulation—and the vast potential it holds for data-driven decision-making, risk mitigation, automated voter services, and geo-spatial intelligence for logistics,” Olumekun noted.
According to him, the newly created division will centralise the Commission’s AI efforts, ensuring a harmonized approach to deploying intelligent systems that enhance decision-making, improve voter engagement, and boost the credibility of the electoral process.
“The creation of this division puts the Commission at the forefront of institutionalizing AI capabilities in electoral management.
It is also part of our ongoing reforms in areas where administrative action is sufficient to drive change,” he said.
He added that the AI Division will help INEC better coordinate its existing technological investments while providing safeguards against the misuse of AI technologies.
“We are positioning ourselves to maximise the positive impact of AI while mitigating its negative implications. This step strengthens the credibility and transparency of elections in Nigeria,” Olumekun concluded.
The initiative, INEC emphasised, reflects its commitment to embracing innovation in safeguarding democracy and improving electoral services nationwide.
Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) in partnership with the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) has unveiled a new Application Programming Interface (API) integration system to allow private firms access company data from the Commission’s database.
Hussaini Ishaq Magaji (SAN), registrar general of CAC, who spoke in Abuja at the unveiling said the system would give selected private organizations access to CAC services through technology-based companies, called “super agents.”
“This is a practical step to show that the Commission is committed to meeting the expectations of our customers,” he said.
Magaji explained that the integration allows the agents to retrieve data from the CAC database for use in specific client requests, outside the standard services provided by the Commission.
“Before now, only a few government agencies had this integration, especially those involved in investigations, anti-money laundering, and terrorism financing. Now, private companies that meet the criteria can also access it,” he said.
He said the system complies with the Nigerian Data Protection Act 2023, and information such as residential addresses, phone numbers, and dates of birth may be restricted.
“This is a call to law firms and companies with the right technology. We’ve started with NIPS because of their credibility. Embassies and banks can now authenticate company records directly through them.”
“There are prescribed fees. We already collect them on our portal, and now customers can also pay through these agents,” he explained.
He named NIPS, MoneyPoint, and OPE as some of the companies involved.
“OPE and MoneyPoint handle only registrations. But NIPS has moved further into validation and verification,” he said.
Ngover Ihyembe-Nwankwo, executive director at NIBSS, who represented Premier Oiwoh, managing director, said the service allows secure and efficient data verification.
“This is the result of years of effort to connect our systems with CAC. It will help users verify data within the limits of data protection laws,” she said.
She said the move is a way to lower costs and promote interoperability across the financial sector.
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