By Steve Agbota
In order to grow local e-commerce startup, Jumia local initiative will boost nation’s economy, develop young entrepreneurs and creates more jobs by supporting made-in-Nigeria products in the country.
The initiative would help to build a more diversified economy, by relying less on imported products and embracing homegrown, good quality Nigerian goods.
Speaking at the launch of Jumia new corporate social initiative and an online store dedicated to promoting local products made in Nigeria recently in Lagos, the company’s Chief Executive Officer, Juliet Anammah said the new platform would give customers a dedicated store where they can conveniently buy good quality, affordable products made or assembled in Nigeria.
She added: “When I work through a supermarket, the first thing that cross through my mind is that everything on the shop can be produced in Nigeria. Though quite some of them are produced locally but improved lot more could be produced in Nigeria, which is the essence of what we are doing Jumia local to attract local manufacturers and people who are assembles in Nigeria.”
Also speaking at the event, Head of Business Development, Jumia Nigeria, Bili Sule hinted that to build a sustainable and healthy economy for Nigeria, there is need to focus less on imported goods and more on products made in Nigeria.
She said: “The change starts with each and everyone of us and Jumia is committed to playing a significant part to promote our nation’s products. We encourage Nigerians to shop smarter, by buying locally made products instead of imported alternatives. It’s better for your pocket, and better for our economy.”
According to her, under the new initiative, entrepreneurs would have an opportunity to sell their locally made products on Jumia website at 0 per cent commission and have their made-in-Nigeria products listed in a dedicated store, which means the entrepreneurs keep 100 per cent of the proceeds from their sales for the first six months, so they can re-invest that money into scaling their business.
However, she stated that Jumia was working with key government and institutional partners to create a supportive ecosystem around entrepreneurs who produce locally, to provide them with access to resources, and training for business growth, access to funding, marketing, branding, production, and commercial strategy.
Jumia will also help local vendors leverage Jumia’s daily website visit of about a million people by promoting the vendor’s products through online and offline channels like jumia.com.ng, social media, the Jumia Mobile app, billboards, radio and so on.
The new initiative would give Nigerian entrepreneurs who are producing locally a strong platform and the backing required to grow their businesses and sell their products to a nationwide customer base – ultimately creating more local job opportunities and supporting the national economy.
