Business
Jumia’s Strategic Expansion into Smaller Towns and Rural Areas in Nigeria
There was a time when acquiring essential goods meant a trip to a commercial hub. While urban dwellers now enjoy the convenience of online shopping, for many in Nigeria’s hinterlands, that remains a distant reality – until now, as Jumia is rewriting this narrative.
Over the past decade, Jumia has leveraged technology to alleviate the challenges of traditional shopping. Now, the company is intensifying its efforts to extend these conveniences to underserved regions through its City Expansion initiative.
Jumia, a leading e-commerce platform in Africa, is addressing the infrastructural and logistical hurdles that have long impeded online commerce in Nigeria’s semi-urban and rural areas. The platform’s comprehensive strategy includes enhancing logistics, establishing pickup stations, and collaborating with Third-Party Logistics Providers (3PLs) to broaden its reach beyond major cities like Lagos, Abuja, Ibadan, and Port Harcourt. Through this initiative, Jumia is enabling consumers in more remote areas to enjoy the benefits of e-commerce.
Enhancing Logistics and Distribution Networks
At the core of Jumia’s expansion plan is the optimization of its logistics and distribution framework. The company is actively investing in localized hubs across newly targeted cities. This initiative addresses common challenges such as failed deliveries, difficulty in product access, and order cancellations – issues particularly acute in secondary cities and remote areas.
With a logistics network comprising over trusted third-party partners, 150+ pickup stations, and a robust community of 7,000+ active independent sales consultants (JForce), Jumia is bringing a wide range of products to millions of Nigerians. By adopting Pickup Stations (PUS) as a primary delivery method, consumers in secondary cities like Aba, Warri, Owerri, Ilorin, Enugu, Ile-Ife, Abeokuta, Awka, Asaba, Nsukka, and Onitsha have now been introduced to the convenience of e-commerce. By the end of the third quarter of 2024, even more smaller cities such as Nnewi, Eket and Yenagoa will benefit from this expansion.
Jumia’s approach aims to streamline the supply chain, reduce delivery times, and enhance overall service reliability – addressing one of the most critical pain points in Nigeria’s e-commerce sector: timely and cost-effective delivery.
Empowering Rural Communities
Beyond logistical improvements, Jumia’s City Expansion strategy is designed to provide employment opportunities and bridge the digital divide. By empowering thousands of independent sales agents in these regions, Jumia is empowering local economies and fostering rural entrepreneurship through word-of-mouth marketing, significantly improving the shopping experience for remote users.
In 2023, Jumia released a report titled “E-Commerce in Rural Areas,” highlighting key lessons that have shaped its approach to reaching consumers in the most remote parts of Nigeria. This report underscores Jumia’s commitment to community engagement, the empowerment of local entrepreneurs, and the development of strategies that ensure e-commerce accessibility for all.
Paving the Way for a Digital Future
Jumia’s City Expansion initiative is more than just a business strategy; it is a step towards democratizing access to the digital economy in Nigeria. By bringing e-commerce to the doorsteps of those in remote and underserved areas, Jumia is not only enhancing convenience but also laying the groundwork for broader economic participation. This initiative has the potential to transform the way people in rural and semi-urban regions shop, work, and connect, ultimately contributing to the country’s overall economic growth.
As Jumia continues to expand its reach, it is setting a new standard for e-commerce in Nigeria and Africa as a whole – one that is inclusive, sustainable, and transformative. Through strategic investments in infrastructure, logistics, and community empowerment, Jumia is ensuring that the future of shopping in Nigeria is accessible to all, regardless of location.
Business
Verve Expands Into UEMOA: Connecting Millions to Seamless Digital Payments Across West Africa
Verve, Africa’s largest domestic payments card and token brand, has taken a significant step towards expanding its Pan-African presence by officially launching card acceptance across countries in the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) region, including Senegal, Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, and Togo, among others. This marks a significant milestone in Verve’s journey to building a truly interconnected African payment network.
This expansion is powered by a strategic partnership with GIM-UEMOA, the regional payment switch facilitating interoperability and financial inclusion across the UEMOA region, connecting banks and financial institutions in Francophone Africa. GIM-UEMOA provides the ideal platform to scale Verve’s reach in the region, offering a seamless connection between financial institutions, businesses, and consumers. At its core, this partnership is about expanding access, unlocking opportunity, and driving shared progress.
Through this collaboration, Verve is enabling millions of new users and businesses to access seamless, secure, and inclusive payment experiences, while reinforcing its commitment to innovation that meets the continent’s evolving financial needs.For consumers, this means the ability to use Verve cards across borders, connect with a wider network of merchants and services, and participate more fully in Africa’s growing digital economy. For businesses and financial institutions, it opens the door to new growth opportunities by providing access to a broader, digitally enabled customer base.This isn’t Verve’s first bold step. Over the years, the brand has formed strong alliances with global platforms such as Google, AliExpress, Temu, Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Spotify, among others. These partnerships allow Verve cardholders to easily access digital content, lifestyle perks, and everyday functionality, positioning Verve as not just a payment card, but a trusted lifestyle companion.In keeping with its commitment to consumer engagement, Verve continues to celebrate and reward its users through initiatives like the Verve GoodLife Promo, a campaign that rewards cardholders with exciting perks for everyday transactions. With the expansion into UEMOA, users across these new markets, including tourists, visiting consumers and entrepreneurs, can now look forward to the same rewarding experience that Verve cardholders enjoy in other parts of Africa.As Verve’s presence grows across the continent, so does its promise to deliver more value, convenience, and memorable experiences to users in every market it enters. This expansion into the UEMOA region brings Verve closer to its vision of connecting Africa through secure and inclusive digital payment solutions. It’s not just about where Verve cards can go, it’s about what they can empower people to do.Whether you’re a bank looking to broaden your digital offerings, a business aiming to reach more customers, or a consumer ready to experience smarter payments, Verve is here to empower your next step. Join the revolution!
Business
Interswitch Group Bolsters Talent Ecosystem in Africa, Hosts Fourth Edition of Career Fair.
Interswitch Group, one of Africa’s leading integrated payments and digital commerce companies, has reinforced its commitment to harnessing a robust talent pool by empowering the Nigerian workforce to pursue personal and professional success. The company affirmed this as it announced the Interswitch Career Fair 4.0 set to hold at the Landmark Event Centre, in Victoria Island, Lagos on Saturday, May 10, 2025. The highly anticipated Career Fair event, tagged “The Talent Paradox: Enabling the Talent Ecosystem in Africa” aims to spotlight the various resources and insights available to skilled, career-driven individuals and young professionals to strategically align them for the workplace of today and the future. Going into the fourth edition, the event will host experts from Interswitch Group including Franklin Ali, Group Chief Human Resources Officer and Oremeyi Akah, Chief Customer Officer, alongside other industry experts including Lanre Basamta, Co-Founder, Optimus AI Labs; Isioma Utomi, CEO, Catalyst Experience Solutions; Adora Ikwuemesi, CEO, Kendor Consulting; Olushola Olaleye, Business Consultant and Gloria Babarinde who will draw from their prolific experiences and expertise to unravel the theme in a panel session. The event will also feature other engaging segments such as keynote and thought leadership sessions bordering trends and masterclasses on upskilling and thriving in the workplace amongst other pertinent discussions. Attendees can also look forward to the job fair where potential candidates can have face-to-face interactions with the expansive pool of hiring experts on ground. The Fair also presents an opportunity to network with like-minded individuals as well as a resourceful platform for the active exchange of knowledge and ideas. Mitchell Elegbe, Founder and Group Managing Director at Interswitch, underscored the essence of the Interswitch Career Fair 4.0 event, highlighting that the programme is a pathway to recognize and equip emerging talents and raise transformative leaders that consistently innovate to solve Nigeria’s biggest challenges and impact the African labour market overall. According to Elegbe, “The Interswitch Career Fair reflects our deep-rooted commitment to nurturing African talent. This platform was conceptualized to cast the spotlight on individuals ready to lead, manage effectively, and create meaningful impact wherever they go. It’s more than just an event—it’s a launchpad for career advancement, connecting high-potential professionals with the right opportunities.”Also commenting on the programme, Franklin Ali, Group Chief Human Resource Officer, Interswitch, said that “This Career Fair goes beyond simply matching people with jobs—it’s designed to equip ambitious talent with the tools and skills needed to excel in the ever-evolving world of work. As a company that values the power of collaboration, we’ve joined forces with respected partners like ALX, Philips Consulting, Udemy, GLSS and Pluralsight to enrich the experience and broaden what’s possible for every attendee.Interswitch Group, which recently bagged the 2024 ‘Happiest Workplaces around the Globe’ award, remains unwavering in its mission to Inspire Africa to greatness. Interested participants are encouraged to follow Interswitch’s social media handles for more information about the upcoming Career Fair.
n a bold move, President Donald Trump has raised tariffs on Chinese goods from 104% to 125%, while temporarily suspending tariffs on numerous other countries.
Trump revealed his decision on Wednesday, stating that the tariff freeze would apply to all nations previously affected by the duties.
The announcement follows his shock move earlier this month, when he introduced a 10% baseline tariff on all countries, with rates reaching as high as 50% for the “worst offenders.”
The tariff on Chinese imports, which started at 10% in March, has escalated progressively through 20%, 54%, 104%, and now to 125%—all in retaliation against China’s countermeasures.
In response, Beijing has implemented an 84% tariff on US goods, set to take effect on April 10.
Additionally, China has issued travel warnings for its citizens planning to visit the United States.
Trump criticized China’s actions as a “lack of respect” and emphasized that the US could no longer tolerate such behavior.
“At some point, hopefully soon, China will realize that the days of exploiting the U.S.A. and other countries are over,” he said in a statement.
The White House also mentioned that more than 75 countries have reached out to negotiate a resolution to the ongoing tariff dispute.
Trump confirmed that the suspension for these countries, as well as China’s new tariff hike, would go into effect immediately.
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