Jumia seeks to expand services into rural Uganda 

As it celebrates 11 years in Uganda, Jumia says that going forward, it will focus on taking its services into rural Uganda. Photo / Courtesy 

What you need to know:

  • Jumia says it will leverage on its offline sales model, known as Jforce, to expand beyond Kampala into rural Uganda

Jumia has said it will, under its inaugural Expansion Project Report, leverage on its offline sales model, known as Jforce, to expand beyond Kampala into rural Uganda. 

Speaking at celebrations to mark 11 years of the e-commerce company in Uganda in Ntinda, Kampala, Mr Vinod Goel, the Jumia chief executive officer, said the Expansion Project Report outlines the company’s strategy to extend its reach beyond Kampala as a way of unplugging Ugandans in rural areas. 

“Uganda, with its unique population distribution and demographics, presents a significant opportunity for e-commerce growth. The rural consumer, who often faces challenges in accessing quality products at competitive prices, is at the heart of this opportunity,” he said, noting Jumia and its partners were excited to embark on a transformative mission that will change the face of shopping and goods delivery in Uganda. 

Jforce is the offline sales arm of Jumia Africa, which operates through a community of salesmen and women, who place orders on behalf of others to earn a commissions. 

However,  Mr Goel did not indicate when this will be achieved and details of the report are yet to be published. 

Jumia, which listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2019, operates in  11 African countries, and has in the last 11 years been key in leveraging technology to transform the culture of shopping not only in Uganda but Africa as a whole through creation of a large network of service offerings that are readily accessible online.