Nigeria seeing e-commerce grow in its economy
June 23, 2013
Like many African nations, Nigeria is looking to develop its economy and solidify a position in the global marketplace. It has seen stronger progress than other countries within Africa, partially due to what might be considered an unexpected corner - e-commerce. Jumia, an online retailer based in Nigeria and present in several other African nations, is having notable success within its home country, according to AFP. Major products include DVDs, electronics, clothes, wine and liquors, cigars and mobile phones, the latter of which have been taking off remarkably. New mobile users may want to purchase a prepaid phone card to go with their device.
The news source reported that Nigeria's widely growing base of Internet users is helping to facilitate Jumia's growth - between 2008 and 2011, the number of Nigerians with Internet access grew from 11 million to 46 million. As such, the company now sells 50,000 products and experiences daily traffic of about 100,000 visitors.
Jumia is the brainchild of Tunde Kehinde, a Nigerian, and Raphael Afaedor, who hails from Ghana. Both are Harvard graduates with experience in online retail.
Speaking to the country's growth possibilities, Kehinde told the news source, "I doubt there are many markets in the world with 160 million people, a growing middle class and nothing in terms of organized retail."