E-Business
Jumia, Mastercard Partner to Provide Cashless Payments for Essential Products in Africa

Jumia, Africa’s leading e-commerce platform and Mastercard have partnered to incentivize consumers on the use of cashless payments platforms as people look for safer ways to pay in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Through this initiative, consumers who purchase essential products using their Mastercard on the Jumia platform will receive up to a 10 per cent discount on their order, encouraging consumers to safely transact using digital payment channels and avoid human-to-human contact, in line with recommendations from global and regional health authorities and governments.
Sami Louali, EVP Financial Services at Jumia said, “We are proud to partner with Mastercard as part of our social commitment and business responsiveness to the global pandemic.
“We are also happy to support our customers by offering them a strong incentive to use cashless payments and providing access to essential products with affordable prices during this challenging time.
“This incentive will help drive more consumers to adopt JumiaPay, the safe and digital payment method.”
The discount offers from Mastercard and Jumia will be available in five countries including Nigeria, Egypt, Kenya, Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana.
Massimiliano Spalazzi, ceo, Jumia Nigeria “This partnership supports the various government cashless payment policies in each of these countries. This is an additional step to limit cash exchange at this time,” he added.
“We are uniquely positioned to step up and be part of Africa’s response strategy in this challenging time.
“We have implemented a “Contactless” delivery option, which eliminates any possibility of physical contact.
“Convenience, social distancing and cashless measures are woven into one solution to combat the current situation.”
Commenting on the partnership, Raghav Prasad, Division President, Sub-Saharan Africa, Mastercard, said: “Our mission at Mastercard is to connect and power up a world beyond cash that benefits everyone, everywhere through transactions that are safe, simple, smart, and accessible.
“Our partnership with Jumia seeks to further encourage Mastercard consumers to stay safe by using available digital payment platforms to purchase their essential items all from the comfort of their own homes in a clean, seamless and convenient experience.
“We look forward to further collaborations with our partners to continue delivering such relevant solutions, enabling people to #staysafe.”
Consumers in these five markets can be a part of this promotional offer by logging on to the Jumia platform, shop and pay for their essential goods on the JumiaPay portal, using their Mastercard, and automatically receive up to 10 percent discount.
E-Business
Galaxy Backbone Celebrates the Federal Government’s Paperless Civil Service Milestone

Galaxy Backbone (GBB) aligns with and celebrates the successful announcement by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation on the achievement of a Paperless Civil Service, a significant milestone in Nigeria’s public sector reform and digital transformation agenda.

The milestone was formally highlighted at a press briefing led by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, who commended Galaxy Backbone for its sustained support and contribution throughout the implementation of the programme.
GBB has played a critical role in enabling this transition by providing secure, scalable, and shared digital infrastructure that supports the digitisation of government processes across Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs). Through the 1Government Cloud, MDAs have been empowered to migrate from paper-based workflows to digital platforms, improving efficiency, collaboration, data security, and service delivery across the Federal Civil Service.
In addition, GovMail, GBB’s secure government email platform, has strengthened official communication, enhanced records management, and reinforced cybersecurity standards—key pillars in sustaining a paperless operating environment.
Galaxy Backbone acknowledges the collective efforts of the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Permanent Secretaries, Directors of ICT, consultants, partners, and dedicated public servants whose commitment and collaboration ensured the smooth delivery of this initiative.
The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Galaxy Backbone, Prof. Ibrahim Adeyanju, was represented at the press briefing by Akintayo Bamisaye, Acting Group Head, Research, Digital Innovation and Skills Department (RDIS).
GBB describes the achievement as a strong close to 2025 and reaffirms its commitment to supporting the Federal Government in building a modern, efficient, and digitally enabled public service.
E-Business
Jumia CEO says Black Friday Signals Nigeria’s E-Commerce Maturity

At the close of 2025, Temidayo Ojo, the CEO of Jumia Nigeria, reflected on a year-end shopping season that points to the growing maturity of the country’s e-commerce market. “Black Friday is no longer a single, short-lived spike in activity,” he said.

“It has become a familiar, anticipated moment in the retail calendar, where consumers shop deliberately and with confidence.”
Preliminary KPIs for the two months ended November 30, 2025, show strong year-on-year growth in both orders and Gross Merchandise Value (GMV), with GMV growth outpacing order growth. This indicates that customers are placing fuller, more considered baskets rather than shopping in fragmented transactions. Nigeria ranked among Jumia Group’s better-performing markets, with engagement remaining steady throughout the Black Friday period rather than spiking briefly and tapering off.
A key factor behind this performance is the growing familiarity of consumers with online shopping. Customers are increasingly leveraging platform features such as saved carts, brand stores, and price comparison tools to plan purchases in advance. This trend suggests that digital commerce is becoming embedded in everyday habits rather than being viewed as a one-off event.
Ojo also highlighted the role of Jumia’s JForce network in connecting digital commerce to local communities. “Our agents are critical to ensuring that customers across Nigeria, including secondary cities and smaller communities, have access to variety, consistent pricing, and reliable delivery,” he said. “During peak periods like Black Friday, JForce agents can respond faster, serve more customers efficiently, and build stronger local relationships. This isn’t just a distribution channel—it’s a pathway to sustainable income and inclusion.”
Reflecting on the overall performance, the CEO concluded: “What we’re seeing this year-end is steady engagement across categories, stronger consumer confidence, and partners like our JForce agents benefiting from increased activity.
“It confirms that Nigeria’s e-commerce ecosystem is maturing, growing in a more structured and resilient way. As the December Holiday Sale continues, we expect these patterns of familiarity, trust, and participation to sustain momentum and drive both commerce and community impact across the country.”
E-Business
Galaxy Backbone Tops FG’s Website Performance Ranking

Galaxy Backbone Limited (GBB) has been ranked first overall in the 2025 Federal Government Website Performance Scorecard.

This is a landmark achievement for Nigeria’s digital economy.
The ranking, conducted by the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR), is the definitive benchmark for digital excellence and transparency across all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).
Professor Ibrahim Adepoju Adeyanju, managing director and CEO of Galaxy Backbone, received the award during a ceremony in Abuja.
He described the feat as a validation of the agency’s“Nigeria First”data sovereignty strategy and its relentless pursuit of service excellence.
This recognition comes as the Federal Government intensifies its push to achieve a fully paperless civil service by December 31, 2025.
GBB has been the primary architect of this transition through its 1Gov Enterprise Content Management (ECM) platform, which now hosts the operations of almost all federal MDAs.
The award adds to a growing list of accolades for Galaxy Backbone in 2025, following its recent win of the “International Standard Excellence Award for Best IT Service Provider.”
As the central hub for government shared services, GBB’s performance serves as a blueprint for other agencies currently undergoing digital transformation.
With its expanded fiber-optic backbone now covering over 13 states and its secure cloud solutions, Galaxy Backbone remains the cornerstone of Nigeria’s vision to become a leading digital nation by the end of the decade.
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