The perfect birthday gift

‘’Once you have mastered time, you will understand how true it is that most people overestimate what they can accomplish in a year  and underestimate what they can achieve in a decade!’’ – Tony Robbins

Hurray! Africa’s leading e-commerce ecosystem is 10 years old. The journey has been challenging yet inspiring. It has been fulfilling yet miraculous. What a story! So much has happened over the course of time. Usually, during birthday celebrations, people expect gifts from friends, family and loved ones. However, in showing gratitude to Ghanaians, the tech unicorn has outlined 10 things it has achieved as its ‘’perfect birthday gift to Ghanaians’’.

1. Supporting businesses / SMEs to grow : Think about your favorite beans seller in the kiosk at your junction, the mobile phone seller at Tiptoe lane, the grocery seller at the Kaneshie market and the clothes seller you always like to buy from at Makola. How could they expand and grow their businesses so quickly while reaching millions of consumers online? Yes, it’s been due to the power of e-commerce. Enabling these otherwise ‘’small’’ vendors utilize various online strategies, tools and technology has seen many of them grow exponentially. Increase in sales, branch expansions and continuous improvement of marketing skills have been a few of the many benefits that Jumia has brought to them. #GrowWithJumia

2. Improving everyday lives : As a developing country, Ghana is faced with many challenges on a daily basis. Over the past 10years, e-commerce has served as a relief for many Ghanaians. Frequent sales campaigns such as ‘’Techweek’’ , ‘’Jumia Anniversary Sale’’ and ‘’Black Friday Sale’’ have ensured that consumers are connected to thousands of sellers online with a wide range of assortments across various categories at highly affordable prices,.Ghana has benefited greatly from Jumia’s presence with consumers having 24/7 access to their everyday needs.  With just a few clicks Ghanaians now receive their essential items at the comfort of their homes or offices. This has undeniably been a game changer. E-commerce has brought convenience, affordability and quality into everyday lives in Ghana. #YourEverdayDelivered

3. Supporting Communities : The general belief is that every business is primarily about generating revenue. Although this may be true in many cases, the love for people cannot be overlooked. Over the past few years, Jumia has dedicated time and various resources into putting smiles on the faces of many Ghanaians in different ways. During valentines day, Jumia donated essential items which included food, beverages, toiletries and stationery to the children at the Teshie Orphanage. Jumia also raised funds by delivering free scones to donors who contributed to support the Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of the Korle-Bu teaching Hospital. In partnership with the National Blood Bank and a few NGOs, Jumia brought together staff, sellers, consumers and other stakeholders to donate blood to less privileged but needy patients. #JumiaLovesLove

   4. Covid-19 impact: Along came 2020, a year marred by the effects of the deadly Covid-19 pandemic. A period when businesses were at a standstill, lives were lost and everyone needed to stay safe. Jumia at the time supported in the fight against the pandemic by donating over 20,000 nose masks to the Ministry of Health Ghana. The company also embarked on a street awareness program in Accra educating street children on safety measures against the coronavirus. In addition, Jumia distributed free nose masks, hand sanitizers and gloves to both the young and old who could not afford to frequently purchase these items. During the lockdown period, Jumia ensured that consumers were motivated to stay home while still enjoying their favorite meals from their preferred restaurants by introducing free contactless deliveries. Consumers could stay home while ordering for various essential items on the Jumia apps / website and get them delivered to their doorstep at no delivery cost. #StaySafeWithJumia

   5. Job creation : More than 1.55 million people, or 13.4% of Ghana’s economically active population, are out of work, according to the 2021 population and housing census as reported by the Ghana Statistical Service. In the past 10 years, Jumia has created over 10,000 direct and indirect jobs for the youth. The e-commerce ecosystem has trained/grown specialized talents in various fields such as warehouse management, cross-border operations, offline sales, customer sales & experience, commercial operations, and people & culture among others. It has also enabled many young individuals to grow their businesses online through it’s unique platform. #GrowWithJumia

    

   6. Rural expansion : Accessibility is one of the greatest benefits of e-commerce and Jumia has ensured that over time, Ghanaians in all corners of the country have gained access to essential goods and services. Today, Jumia delivers to all 16 regions in Ghana. With over 100 pick-up stations spread countrywide, many consumers now access their orders quickly at reduced shipping fees.Strong partnerships with Ghana Post to deliver items nationwide and Locqar to offer contactless deliveries have all aided in expansion to more rural areas in Ghana.

      7. Sustainability : In 2022, Jumia released its first ever Environmental Social Governance Report outlining its ESG strategy alongside an overview of current sustainability practices at Jumia. The company’s drive to promote sustainability has led to creating an ecosystem that is contributing to social development, generating employment and business opportunities, and closing inequality gaps for thousands of people. Partnerships with Solar Taxi, e-bikes and other e-mobility companies have ensured that Jumia delivers happiness to its consumers while reducing the amount of carbon dioxide emissions in our environment. 

       

      8. Women empowerment : In many parts of the world, female representation in leadership positions are extremely low. Although the message has been loud over the past years, it is clear that women empowerment needs more mileage in Ghana and Jumia has been championing this course for a while now. With about 42% of staff and about 40% of top management being female, the gender gap is being narrowed gradually.Today, 48% of vendors / sellers are female and Jumia encourages many women to break the bias and be active players. This has seen an increase in female delivery associates and pick-up station managers. 

         9. Digital payments / insurance : Ghana is gradually moving toward a cashless economy where almost all payments are done digitally. Queuing in banks, movement through traffic and the risks of carrying huge sums of cash just to pay bills, purchase items and execute other transactions can sometimes be overwhelming. With Jumia’s introduction of a digital payment platform (JumiaPay), Ghanaians now pay for their electricity and water bills, DSTV subscriptions, school fees and insurance premiums safely and conveniently. It’s also time and cost efficient.

         10. Thought leadership : In an industry which is relatively new in Africa, there exists only a handful of relevant information about e-commerce. For many researchers, students , businesses and policy makers, information about the e-commerce ecosystem is scarce and that has a lot of bearing on the past, challenges and future prospects. Jumia has over the past years served as a thought leader on many topics. Typical examples are the Food Index which highlighted trends in the food delivery and on-demand services sector and the E-commerce Index which  leveraged data from the Jumia platform to illustrate the importance of shopping online in a pandemic context as consumers leveraged Jumia for their needs using their smartphones. Other key reports are the hospitality report and the Sustainability report.

         The cherry on top of Jumia Ghana’s sweet 10th anniversary cake was the donation of over 400 UN ECE 22.05 Certified Helmets to its delivery associates at the Anniversary Launch event in Accra as part of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) Safe and Affordable Helmet Programme. These helmets are testimony to Jumia’s commitment to ensuring the safety of it’s riders who work seamlessly to deliver items, food and packages to Ghanaians on a daily basis.The past 10 years have been amazing and Jumia is grateful to all stakeholders for the immense support. Cheers to another 10years of e-commerce growth and impact in Ghana.