Jumia expands e-commerce to rural areas

Jumia, Africa’s e-commerce platform, has stated it has recently deployed a city expansion strategy in line with its effort towards addressing the challenges of e-commerce in Nigeria.

A statement by Jumia disclosed that the expansion was designed to bring the convenience of online shopping to Nigeria’s underserved semi-urban and rural areas.

It noted that the strategy focused on democratising access to essential goods and services by addressing long-standing logistical challenges and creating new economic opportunities across the country.

“A core part of the company’s strategy is enhancing logistics and distribution networks by investing in localised hubs across newly targeted cities and increasing the number of its JForce sales consultants. “Currently, the company’s logistics network comprises 150 pickup stations and over 7,000 active independent sales consultants called the JForce that reach remote cities such as Aba, Warri, Owerri, Ilorin, Enugu, Ile-Ife, Abeokuta, Awka, Asaba, Nsukka, and Onitsha,” the statement read.

The Chief Executive Officer of Jumia Nigeria, Sunil Natraj, remarked, “At Jumia, our mission has always been to make everyday life easier and better for every Nigerian, regardless of their location. We are working towards addressing one of the most critical pain points in Nigeria’s e-commerce sector: timely and cost-effective delivery.

“With the city expansion initiative, we are bringing products closer to consumers in remote areas and empowering local communities through job creation and digital inclusion. We plan to expand to smaller cities such as Nnewi, Eket and Yenagoa by the end of the third quarter of 2024.”

He mentioned that Jumia’s City Expansion strategy focused on empowering rural communities by providing employment opportunities and bridging the digital divide.

“The initiative supports thousands of independent sales agents in these regions, enhancing local economies and encouraging rural entrepreneurship through word-of-mouth marketing,” he added.

Jumia Technologies announced earlier in the year that it would be shutting down its food arm, Jumia Food, in Nigeria in December.

According to Reuters, Jumia said that it will close its food delivery business in Nigeria and six other countries in which it operates by the end of the year to focus on growing its core online retail business.