E-commerce platform, Jumia, has reached an agreement with internet provider Starlink to retail its residential kit across 10 African countries. Starting with Nigeria, the devices will be made available to consumers in Kenya, followed by Algeria, Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Senegal, Tunisia and Uganda. The Starlink devices will bring high speed internet services to remote areas and communities that struggle with connectivity.
“We are thrilled to be the first company on the continent to join forces with Starlink to expand this groundbreaking technology in Africa. This agreement aligns perfectly with our mission of using technology to improve lives across Africa. By expanding access to Starlink's internet service through the Jumia platform, individuals and communities can be empowered with high-speed, low-latency internet access, driving economic growth and unlocking new opportunities”, said Hisham El Gabry, Group Chief Commercial Office, Jumia.
The online marketplace has also announced a partnership with US drone company Zipline to trial a delivery service for electronics, cosmetics and fashion items. The pilot programme, launched 2 months ago in Ghana, has proved successful, and logged up to 2,500km in test deliveries. A recent statement by Jumia has indicated that the service could be expanded initially to Cote d’Ivoire and Nigeria in the near future.
Group Executive Vice President, Apoorva Kumar, commented,”This will support Jumia’s commitment to sustainability and innovation and provide much-needed access to rural and remote areas where conventional delivery services have challenges.”
Jumia's partnership with Zipline is part of its commitment to providing affordable and eco-friendly delivery of online orders for consumers. In addition to its partnership with Zipline, Jumia works with Solar Taxi in Ghana and eBee in Kenya to achieve a fully green footprint using clean and sustainable renewable energy.
After a disappointing Q2 earnings report, Jumia sees a path to growth through a strategic focus on acquiring more product supply, increasing efficiencies, reducing costs, supporting entrepreneurship in local markets, and expanding Jumia Pay to offline platforms.