Author: The Nation

Despite the shrinking purchasing power of consumers, Jumia, Africa’s leading e-commerce platform, yesterday said it is going to take advantage of the population of the country to expand into other cities with population in the region of 20,000 people.

CEO of Jumia Group, Francis Dufay, who spoke during the unveiling of Sunil Natraj, as Nigeria’s new Chief Executive Officer effective January 1, 2024, said this year has been transformative for the company.

He said Nigeria remained the company’s biggest growth opportunity in Africa, adding that retail trade remained largely underdeveloped saying the company was pushing hard to serve underserved communities. He said the country remained a huge market for consumers with millions yet to be convinced about the comfort, peace of mind and ease that come with e-commerce.

Dufay who expressed optimism about the future of the business in Nigeria, said the company is investing in putting its foot on ground in the country to deepen the embrace of e-commerce. Already, he said the expansion train has landed in Akure and Ilorin, Ondo and Ekiti states capital respectively, promising more would come during the coming years.

He said he was unperturbed by the economic headwind in the country, saying it had operated in other challenging terrains in the past.

On market share, he said what is of utmost interest to the company is the market, not its share of the market because it remained the leader in the e-commerce space.

Also speaking, outgoing CEO Massimiliano Spalazzi, said though the year had been challenging with hitches occasioned with cash scarcity, fuel subsidy removal and currency devaluation, the company has remained focused on the consumers, ensuring quality product availability at affordable prices.

While expressing hope in the coming year, he said the company is working to reduce shipping cost, sustainability and profitability.

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Sunil who will replace Spalazzi will continue focusing on making Jumia sharper and faster to delight more and more customers with their needs. He will also work closely with partners and vendors to make Jumia their most preferred sales channel.

“I’m thrilled I will be leading Jumia in Nigeria, one of our largest markets, and to help transform Africa’s economy through e-commerce. It’s an honour to contribute to Jumia’s success in the country, prioritising customer satisfaction, secure payments, and strong partnerships. Our dedicated team is key to our future success, and I am confident we will achieve even greater milestones, always earning our customers’ trust,” Sunil I reaction to his appointment.

Sunil came to Jumia in 2022 with extensive experience in sub-Saharan Africa. In Jumia, he handled the Jumia Express logistics business as VP of Sales and Marketing based in Lagos, Nigeria before becoming the CEO of Jumia Ghana. He has worked towards cost definitions and reduction, price definition and standardisation, and business development and growth.

Prior to Jumia, he has managed and built brands in the region and has handled large businesses in the FMCG sector. He has been based in Africa for over 11 years, where he worked for large multinationals such as GBFoods. Sunil holds a B.S in Engineering and an MBA from The Indian Institute of Management Calcutta.

”We extend our sincere thanks and wish the best to Massi as he departs our teams following 11 years since the very start of Jumia. Massi has been part of the founding team since Jumia was launched in 2012 and has covered many leadership roles across all our countries and functions until his current one as CEO in Nigeria and EVP for the group. We wish the very best for Sunil for this new challenge,” Dufay said.