Brands/Products
Jumia Recounts Major Milestones in 2019
As Nigeria continues to make significant progress in the e-commerce sector, a major player in the sector has reiterated its commitment to ensuring growth across its platform to satisfy its consumers.
The Co-Founder and Co-Chief Executive Officer of Jumia Group, Mr Jeremy Hodara, stated this while reviewing the company’s activities for the year 2019.
According to Mr Hodara, a major milestone recorded in 2019, was the impressive acceptance of the Jumia Pay payment platform by consumers using the Jumia platform. Jumia Pay accounted for over 30 percent of transactions in the third-quarter of 2019.
Another major achievement for the company in 2019 was its listing on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), thus making Jumia the first e-commerce company in Africa to be listed on the floor.
The report also showed that Jumia expanded e-commerce opportunities in Ibadan and Edo states in the year under review while also extending e-commerce penetration to more rural areas in Bayelsa and Bonny in Rivers State, where choices for products are extremely limited. To better serve its customers in the remote areas, Jumia launched its cash-on-delivery programme for customers in 15 cities in the North and South-East regions.
The expansion of the Jumia’s logistic network was another area of improvement in 2019. “We integrated more than 30 new logistics partners and opened more than 50 Last Mile delivery hubs to facilitate deliveries for our sellers to consumers”, he said.
“We launched International Sneakers Day and Home of Brands marketing campaigns to drive e-commerce penetration in Nigeria. Again, in 2019, the Jumia App, was the most downloaded App in the Nigerian e-commerce space. Jumia was also recognized as one of the best places to work by Jobberman,” he added.
Mr Hodara restated that Jumia is keen on positioning the company for enhanced profitability and better services for its teeming customers.
“Our focus for the next growth is to increase the purchasing power of customers, build a robust platform for Jumia Pay, partner with vendors and be the best logistics provider in Nigeria”, he said.
Meanwhile, as part of the company’s drive for excellence along the lines of the next growth phase, erstwhile Chief Executive Officer, Jumia Nigeria, Ms Juliet Anammah, has been elevated to the position of the Chairwoman of Jumia Nigeria and Head of Institutional Affairs of Jumia Group.
Consequently, Mr Massimilliano Spalazzi assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer at Jumia Nigeria, while still functioning in his position as the Executive Vice President of Marketplace.
Mr Spalazzi, in his response, said he is determined to align with the company’s growth plans for the coming years to drive the Nigerian business and indeed the growth of e-commerce in Africa as he assumes his new role as the Chief Executive Officer of Jumia Nigeria.
“I am happy to assume this role and we are committed to growing the e-commerce business in Africa. By this, we are inventing and diversifying our businesses to better cater to our customers. At Jumia, we are the custodian of our customers’ happiness”, he said.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
To make finding the right service provider or reaching the right customer seamless, popular local information portal, Connect Nigeria, has introduced a Quote Request platform.
Connect Nigeria described the new system as “a digital solution designed to make connecting with service providers faster, easier, and more reliable.”
It said the Quote Request was built for consumers who need services quickly and want trusted options without the stress of searching endlessly; and service providers and businesses looking for real, high-intent customers without spending heavily on marketing.
“Whether you need a caterer for an event, a plumber for your home, or a designer for your brand, the platform is designed to connect you with the right people,” Connect Nigeria added.
“By connecting demand directly with supply, the platform creates a more structured and dependable marketplace,” it further stated.
At its core, the Quote Request simplifies the entire process of finding and offering services.
To use the service, users have to submit a request describing the service or product needed, which is then sent to verified vendors on the platform. Interested providers respond within 1–2 days, and users compare offers and choose what works best for their needs and budget.
“Instead of searching for vendors, the vendors come to you, with relevant, tailored responses,” Connect Nigeria explained.
The company expects this new platform to eliminate the stress of endless online searches, delayed or vague responses, and uncertainty about service quality.
As for businesses, it solves poor visibility, inconsistent customer flow, and lost opportunities due to slow response times.
Connect Nigeria Quote Request mobile app is now available on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
An institutional investor, First Ally Capital, has strengthened a leading Nigerian financial technology company, Mathesis Analytics, to scale its proprietary credit decisioning infrastructure.
It made this possible by injecting fresh capital into the firm, which specialises in AI-powered credit decisioning infrastructure, an action that will directly support the growth and scaling of Mathesis’ core mission of providing the intelligence and infrastructure needed to bridge the credit gap for millions of unscored or underscored individuals across Nigeria.
With this investment, Mathesis will enable financial institutions to confidently assess and extend credit to borrowers who lack a formal credit history by leveraging an expanded pool of alternative behavioural and transactional data.
To date, Mathesis’ systems have supported more than 8 million loans for over 2 million unique borrowers in Nigeria, and the company is actively deploying its infrastructure to establish a growing pan-African footprint.
With the investment from First Ally Capital, Mathesis is well positioned to transform how the credit ecosystem operates, driving financial inclusion in partnership with lenders across the continent.
A significant barrier to credit access in Nigeria, which prides itself on being Africa’s largest economy, is data fragmentation. Borrowers frequently build positive financial behaviours across multiple digital platforms by repaying microfinance loans, saving through fintech wallets, or servicing Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) facilities.
However, under traditional credit infrastructure, these achievements remain invisible to new lenders.
Mathesis addresses this challenge through the concept of Personal Equity—the quantified expression of an individual’s financial behaviour aggregated across every institution with which they have transacted.
By translating these disparate signals into a precise, portable measure of creditworthiness, Mathesis creates a comprehensive credit identity that reflects the full breadth of a person’s financial life.
“True financial inclusion cannot be achieved in a vacuum; it requires structural collaboration in which lenders and fintech companies work as partners within the ecosystem.
“This investment from First Ally Capital validates our approach to reshaping credit infrastructure. By quantifying Personal Equity, we empower lenders to safely look beyond the constraints of formal credit histories and recognise a borrower’s true creditworthiness. This capital enables us to accelerate our pan-African expansion while maintaining the robust, institutional-grade infrastructure our partners rely on,” the chief executive of Mathesis Analytics, Winston Osuchukwu, stated.
On his part, the chief executive of First Ally Capital, Mr Ebenezer Olufowose, said, “At First Ally Capital, we pride ourselves on being a one-stop destination for financial solutions, offering a diverse portfolio of services ranging from investment banking and asset management to trusteeship, inclusive banking, and real estate.
“Our investment in Mathesis Analytics reflects our strong belief in the company’s vision and our commitment to supporting forward-thinking enterprises that deliver excellence.”
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The chief executive of Canal+ Africa, Mr David Mignot, has disclosed that MultiChoice is now fully integrated into the media group.
Mr Mignot disclosed this via a statement issued on Thursday, noting that this development marks a new phase in the evolution of one of Africa’s leading pay television operators.
He noted that the integration positions MultiChoice within a global media organisation with an extensive international footprint.
“MultiChoice is now a full subsidiary of a truly international media group operating in 70 countries. The group was founded in France, is listed in London and Johannesburg, and has a strong African presence with operations in more than 45 countries,” Mr Mignot said.
The statement underscores the scale of the combined business, highlighting Canal+’s global reach alongside its significant investments across Africa.
The completion of the transaction is expected to strengthen MultiChoice’s position in the African media and entertainment market by giving it access to the broader resources, expertise and international capabilities of the Canal+ Group, while reinforcing the group’s commitment to the continent.
MultiChoice operates across sub-Saharan Africa through platforms including DStv and GOtv, serving millions of subscribers with entertainment, sports and news content.
