Jumia Launches First Africa’s E-Commerce Report

Omolabake Fasogbon

Foremost e-commerce platform, Jumia has published its first Africa e-commerce report, “Jumia Africa e-Commerce Index 2021” with a Nigerian section.

The report leverages data from Jumia’s platform to illustrate the importance of shopping online in a pandemic context.

The report was compiled in collaboration with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), International Finance Corporation (IFC) and MasterCard, amongst others, highlighting the impact of e-commerce on the African economy.

In its submission, UNCTAD argues that internet businesses in Africa, including e-commerce which sits at the heart of the digital economy, could add $180 billion to the continent’s GDP by 2025.

UNCTAD Head of E-commerce and Digital Economy, Torbjorn Fredriksson said, “COVID-19 led to a surge in the use of digital solutions, including e-commerce. This was particularly demonstrated with domestic sales rather than cross-border e-commerce. Food delivery, essentials, and pharmaceutical goods were among the top performing online shopping categories.”

Chief Executive Officer of Jumia, Massimiliano Spalazzi informed that ecommerce has become indispensable to merchant since the outbreak of COVID-19.

He said, “Many businesses have joined Jumia to keep their business running and to grow. Consumers used Jumia for their daily needs and sought convenience and competitive prices on the platform too.

According to the report, Lagos leads the list of cities with the most volume of orders on the Jumia logistics Network in Nigeria. Jumia Nigeria has more than 11,000 sellers, having achieved gender parity with 51% of sellers on the platform as women.