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Africa’s Online Shopper Set to Reach 600m by 2027 – GSMA Report

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A recent report jointly released by the GSM Association (GSMA) and the UK’s Department for Business and Trade has shed light on the growing impact of e-commerce on micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) across Africa.

Africa’s Online Shopper Set to Reach 600m by 2027 – GSMA Report

The report, unveiled at the Mobile World Congress in Kigali,  Rwanda, emphasizes the potential of e-commerce to boost new markets, profitability, and resilience for MSMEs.

Despite the continent’s progress in improving connectivity and mobile technology adoption among both businesses and consumers, online retail in Africa still accounts for a lower proportion of total retail sales compared to other regions globally.

The report highlights that while the number of online shoppers in Africa is on the rise, there is immense room for growth. In 2022, only an estimated 400 million out of 1.4 billion people on the continent used e-commerce services.

However, market forecasts indicate a promising future with an expected surge in online shoppers to 600 million by 2027 in Africa.

To better understand the dynamics, the report is based on interviews with 1,500 MSMEs engaged in e-commerce in countries such as Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa. The findings also incorporate insights from experts in these countries, as well as Rwanda, Senegal, and Tanzania

The research aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the market to help MSMEs harness the digital opportunity while assisting donors and development partners in designing more effective interventions to support MSMEs in Africa.

Among the challenges identified in the report are limited financial resources, a shortage of digital skills, regulatory gaps, underdeveloped legislation, low adoption of digital payments, and logistical complexities, including unreliable delivery systems.

Smartphone penetration remains limited in some areas, contributing to low digital literacy and trust issues in online purchases.

As a response, the report suggests various recommendations to boost e-commerce in Africa, such as offering financial products and reskilling support for MSMEs, improving connectivity, making smartphones more affordable, reviewing and clarifying policies and laws, shifting towards digital payments, and enhancing reliable and affordable delivery and transport systems.

The report also highlights the role of women in e-commerce and suggests targeted interventions to further support their businesses.

Overall, the report underscores the potential of e-commerce to drive digital transformation, cross-border trade, and entrepreneurship in Africa and calls for collaborative efforts to address challenges and promote growth in this sector.


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E-Business

Galaxy Backbone Celebrates the Federal Government’s Paperless Civil Service Milestone

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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.


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E-Business

Jumia CEO says Black Friday Signals Nigeria’s E-Commerce Maturity

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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.”


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E-Business

Galaxy Backbone Tops FG’s Website Performance Ranking

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

Galaxy Backbone Tops FG's Website Performance Ranking

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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