By Adedapo Adesanya
Jumia has released its first Environmental Social Governance (ESG) Report, outlining its ESG strategy alongside an overview of current sustainability practices at the company.
The report draws on Jumia’s 2021 non-financial data and provides disclosures in line with Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) materiality topics for e-commerce entities as well as the UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).
While recognising the importance of standard ESG focus areas, Jumia draws attention to the unique role that e-commerce plays in advancing more equal opportunities in Africa. As such the company has made its mission,
Leveraging technology to improve everyday lives in Africa, is the first pillar of its sustainability strategy.
The report highlights five material themes in the context of its sustainability strategy:
Environment – which encompasses minimizing the impact on the environment; Social – which involves providing convenience, affordability and accessibility for consumers, empowering sellers, partners, and communities, and building an engaged inclusive and diverse workforce; Governance – operating with strong governance and ethical standards.
According to Jumia co-founders and CEOs, Mr Sacha Poignonnec and Mr Jeremy Hodara, “We are proud that through our actions and our ecosystem we are contributing to social development, generating employment and business opportunities, and closing inequality gaps for thousands of people.”
Adding her input, Jumia Chief Sustainability Officer and Chairwoman Nigeria, Mrs Juliet Anammah, noted that, “It is exciting to note that we have endless opportunities to make choices which are good for our business and also good for our people, communities and the planet. As a growing entity on the path to profitability, this alignment between sustainability and our business objectives is a critical success factor.”
Jumia’s ESG Report follows the publication of the company’s year-end financial results highlighted by the fourth quarter of 2021 which marked meaningful acceleration and growth momentum with new records reached across all usage metrics.
Quarterly active consumers, orders and Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) reached all-time highs of 3.8 million, 11.3 million and $330 million respectively, increasing by 29 per cent, 40 per cent and 20 per cent year-over-year, respectively.
The Jumia Sustainability Report can be accessed here.
