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The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has lauded e-commerce giant Jumia for transforming Nigeria’s online marketplace.
Director General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, described Jumia, Africa’s first unicorn, as an enterprise that has leveraged ICT extensively to reinvent the e-commerce sector in a way that has boosted the country’s economy.
Abdullahi lauded the company while speaking on the role of ICT in shaping the Nigerian economy at the recent 10th anniversary luncheon of Jumia in Lagos.
“Technology revolution is upon us as the largest economy and largest population in Africa. We stand to gain immensely by leapfrogging from our present status in the ICT ecosystem development, engaging the values of innovative application development, deployment and adoption”, said Abdullahi who was represented by the NITDA’s Head of South West Zonal Office, Chioma Okee-Aguguo.
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He said Jumia which started as a tech startup a decade ago is now considered a trailblazer and an inspiration to other startups in the country, even as he noted that the rapid development of ICT in Nigeria has enabled heterogeneous economic sectors to be more integrated.
Acknowledging the tremendous impact the company has had on the economy of the nation, the NITDA boss said that Jumia has created more jobs for youths and transformed the commercial face of wholesale and retail businesses while at the same time delivering excellent customer satisfaction.
His words: “You have positively impacted the lives of millions of Nigerians and changed the face of commerce in the country. We celebrate your success stories and commend your efforts at reshaping the e-commerce industry in Nigeria.”
He said electronic commerce has led to unprecedented improvement in the growth and productivity of the nation’s economy and urged other financial services, healthcare, government and other industries to explore ways of using ICT to transform their traditional process models.
Abdullahi reiterated government’s commitment to foster efficient, safe and economically productive Digital Nigeria through the deployment of IT. He said NITDA has developed programmes to support eGovernment initiatives by strengthening cybersecurity, developing digital skills for digitally excluded citizens and enhancing developmental regulations to promote ICT-centered innovation and entrepreneurship.
Chief Executive Officer of Jumia Nigeria, Mr. Massimiliano Spalazzi thanked the company’s workforce and customers for their unflinching support over the years and promised more excellent service delivery.
“We are very proud of what we have built, thanks to our customers and employees and to show our appreciation, we want to focus more and more on customer needs and ensure we are adapting to market demands”, said Spalazzi.
Co-founder of Jumia, Jeremy Hodara, said that the company has partnered with both international and local brands to offer thousands of products to Nigerian consumers through a workforce of over 1000 employees, over 10000 independent sales agents and over 350 partners.
