The director-general of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Mallam Kashifu Abdullahi, has lauded virtual mall giant Jumia for deploying information and communications technology (ICT) resources to reform e-commerce sector and boost the country’s economic growth.
Abdullahi, who was represented by the agency’s head, southwest zonal office, Chioma Okee-Aguguo, spoke on the role of ICT in shaping the Nigerian economy at the 10th-anniversary luncheon of Jumia in Lagos.
He commended Jumia on its growth and trajectory in the country’s e-commerce ecosystem over the decade. He said it has become a trail-blazer and inspiration for other tech start-ups, given its success over a decade.
While praising the company for its contributory influence in the enhancement of the country’s e-commerce industry, Abdullahi 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, Abdullahi said that Jumia has created more jobs for young people and transformed the commercial face of wholesale and retail businesses while delivering excellent customer satisfaction.
“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 stated.
Abdullahi further said that 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.
Stating the inclination of the present administration to foster an efficient, safe and economically productive digital Nigeria through the deployment of IT, Abdullahi averred that NITDA has developed programmes to support e-government initiatives by strengthening cybersecurity, developing digital skills for digitally excluded citizens and enhancing developmental regulations to promote ICT-centered innovation and entrepreneurship.
“Technology revolution is upon us as the largest economy and largest population in Africa. We stand to gain immensely by leap-frogging our present status in the ICT ecosystem development, engaging the values of innovative application development, deployment and adoption,” he concluded.
Giving his remark on the company’s 10-year milestone, the chief executive officer of Jumia Nigeria, Mr. Massimiliano Spalazzi expressed his gratitude to 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”, he promised.
Also speaking on Jumia’s impact on communities, women, entrepreneurs, youths and the country’s economy, the 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.
