Broadcasting
How Jumia is Empowering Rural Communities in Nigeria through E-Commerce
In the rapidly evolving landscape of global e-commerce, Nigeria’s ecommerce market is rapidly growing and is projected to generate a revenue of US$7,627 million by the end of 2023, making it the 39th largest ecommerce market globally. Over the past few years, Nigerian consumers are increasingly turning to online stores for their shopping needs, and the industry has seen tremendous growth. At the forefront of this change in consumer behaviour is Jumia.
After years of operation in 11 African countries and becoming the biggest player in the Nigerian e-commerce market, Jumia launched a report titled “E-Commerce in Rural Areas,” outlining a series of critical lessons that have revolutionised how the company reaches consumers in the most remote corners of the nation. It sheds light on the company’s journey, offering valuable insights into the power of community engagement, strategic partnerships, and the empowerment of local entrepreneurs.
Acknowledging the significant influence that e-commerce can have on Nigeria’s economy, Jumia launched the JForce program, which takes a grassroot approach by involving individual sales consultants within local communities. This approach has yielded 43,000 local sales consultants who play a crucial role in driving consumer education and unlocking potentials of rural entrepreneurship.
Amidst a 40% unemployment rate, Jumia’s JForce initiative is a transformative force, generating employment opportunities and empowering individuals financially. For many, it has become a vital source of income and stability, offering hope in the face of challenging economic conditions.
Notwithstanding the growing internet penetration in Nigeria, there is still a large percentage of Nigerians who do not have access to smartphones. In rural areas where digital literacy is limited, JForce representatives foster trust through personalised interactions and word-of-mouth marketing. This strategy has been a significant driver of the e-commerce market by enhancing accessibility.
The success of JForce activations, plays a crucial role in acquiring new consumers and raising the brand awareness in remote regions. The goal is to bridge the digital divide, allowing rural customers to break free from geographical constraints and access various products.
Furthermore, reaching out to potential customers in remote regions may require a more resourceful approach involving strategic investments in logistics. As part of its commitment to accessibility and inclusivity, Jumia established over 250 Pick-Up Stations and forged partnerships with trusted logistic partners to facilitate product delivery to secondary cities and rural areas.
The strategic placement of pick-up stations across various towns ensures that even the most remote corners of Nigeria are accessible, consequently revealing untapped markets.
Although Nigeria’s logistical challenges have often hampered economic development in remote regions, Jumia’s partnership with these local logistics providers addresses this issue to stimulate growth and development within the sector. Such partnerships foster acceptance and adoption of e-commerce, particularly among customers familiar with these local businesses. By leveraging the capabilities of local logistics providers, the company has optimised its last-mile delivery, resulting in enhanced cost-effectiveness and efficiency for all stakeholders involved.
Jumia’s expansion into rural regions has had a remarkable effect on women entrepreneurs, making it an inspiring aspect of their endeavours. In a country where gender inequality has been a persistent issue, witnessing a significant rise in the participation of women in business represents a notable step forward in the economic landscape.
This growing involvement of women entrepreneurs fosters inclusive growth and symbolises progress in promoting gender empowerment. The commendable statistic that over 50% of Jumia Nigeria’s sellers are women illustrates a transformative shift in the business environment, emphasising the promotion of economic inclusivity and empowerment of women. As this trend continues, it holds the potential to contribute significantly to Nigeria’s overall economic growth and development.
The success of Jumia’s E-Commerce expansion in remote regions in Nigeria reaffirms the company’s commitment to empowerment, accessibility and preparedness for sustained growth. The report highlights a critical takeaway – that businesses can play a pivotal role in driving Nigeria’s journey towards sustainable and equitable economic growth by embracing inclusivity and forging strategic partnerships.
As the nation navigates economic challenges, Jumia’s approach, in the long run, may serve as a blueprint for creating economic opportunities and positively impacting local communities.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered the reinstatement of Mr Salihu Abdullahi Dembos as director-general, Nigerian Television Authority (NTA).
The directive was contained in a statement issued on Tuesday by Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to the President on Information and Strategy.
Onanuga explained that Dembos, who briefly vacated the position following management changes at the agency, was appointed by President Tinubu in October 2023 and will now return to complete his three-year tenure.
Also recalled is Mr Ayo Adewuyi, executive director of News, who was appointed in 2024. He is to serve out his tenure, which runs until 2027.
According to Onanuga, the directive nullifies the earlier appointments of a new director-general, executive director of news, executive director of marketing, and managing director of NTA Enterprises.
To amplify Afrobeats’ status as a global powerhouse, Spotify today announced the launch of its new Global Afrobeats Playlist. The new Global Afrobeats Playlist is a celebration of a sound that has moved from the club to the charts and beyond, influencing global fashion, dance, and culture. In direct response to the genre’s global growth, this playlist is driven by the passion and influence of listeners worldwide.
Beyond Africa, Afrobeats is seeing a massive increase in Asia, with Indonesia, India, the Philippines, and Thailand becoming major hotspots. In 2020, these markets experienced significant growth: Indonesia at a 4,530% increase, India at 1,650%, the Philippines at 1,492%, and Thailand at 1,370%. The genre’s popularity in the Latin America region has also seen a remarkable 183% year-on-year growth in 2025, underscoring its broad and international appeal.
Interestingly, Spotify data reveals a 135% growth in the number of user-generated playlists that use “Afrobeats” between 2020 and 2025. This is a movement of fans acting as tastemakers, building the genre’s global footprint one playlist at a time. Listeners are not just consuming the sound; they are curating, sharing, and exporting it worldwide.
This digital takeover is the work of a new generation. Gen Z, with an appetite for new sounds, has made playlists their go-to for discovery. They have turned playlists like Hot Hits Naija, African Heat, and Gbedu into global gateways. These playlists are the top three playlists for young Afrobeats listeners globally, reflecting the genre’s diverse energy, from club anthems to smooth crossovers. Hot Hits Naija alone has pulled in over 20 million global plays.
The top three playlists shaping Gen Z listening in the genre’s birthplace, Hot Hits Naija, Gbedu, and Street Energy capture the raw, street-driven pulse of Nigerian youth culture. The Afro Adura playlist, for instance, saw its average monthly plays jump by 51%, a clear sign that the genre’s appeal is both broad and deep.
“The launch of our Global Afrobeats Playlist isn’t about Spotify leading the charge, it’s about us following the fans,” says Benewaah Boateng, Spotify’s Senior Music Editor, Sub-Saharan Africa. “The data shows a wave of listener-driven curation, and this playlist is our way of celebrating that momentum. We are simply giving due recognition to the voices of a new generation who have made Afrobeats a global force, and we are thrilled to provide a definitive home for this vibrant and ever-evolving genre.”
The new Afrobeats Global playlist is a nod to the fans who built this movement from the ground up, and a green light for Afrobeats to keep climbing.
By Chukwuemeka Fred Agbata, CFA
Across Nigeria, one of the biggest hurdles to broadband expansion has been the prohibitive cost of Right of Way charges: the fees telecom operators must pay to lay fibre-optic cables across state-owned land, which drastically slows down digital infrastructure rollout.
In 2022, one of the earliest and boldest steps taken by Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo, CFR, was the removal of the Right of Way (RoW) charges for laying broadband fibre across Anambra State.
At the time, it may have seemed like a quiet policy move, but in reality, it laid the foundation for the state’s ongoing digital transformation journey.
The logic behind this move is simple but powerful. By waiving RoW charges, the administration sent a clear message to telecom operators, broadband providers, and investors: Anambra is open for digital business.
This single decision has paved the way for fibre-to-home deployment, the expansion of 5G infrastructure, and faster, more reliable internet across communities, ultimately boosting the ease of doing business.
Perhaps one of the most visible testaments to this visionary policy is the ongoing roll-out of the “Solution Free Wi-Fi” initiative, which is democratizing internet access for students, traders, civil servants, and everyday citizens, alongside the digitization of government processes that are making service delivery faster and more transparent.
Anambra is reaping the dividends of a forward-thinking approach.
What seemed impossible a few years ago is now a lived reality: Teachers are being equipped with digital tools, enhancing lesson delivery and preparing students for a technology-driven future.
Civil servants now work with smarter systems, making the civil service more efficient, transparent, and responsive to citizens, while young innovators are finding an enabling environment to create solutions and businesses that improve lives and shape the future.
What began as a policy shift has cascaded into practical, people-centred benefits that are redefining how Anambra learns, works, and governs.
This backbone is also unlocking new opportunities in telemedicine, e-learning, smart agriculture, and more. In short, the Soludo-led administration’s decision aligns perfectly with the governor’s vision of building a liveable and prosperous megacity, anchored on technology.
More notably, Anambra’s forward-thinking move aligns it with both national and global best practices. In Nigeria, states like Lagos, Ekiti and Kaduna that reduced or eliminated RoW fees saw significant surges in broadband penetration and digital services. Internationally, countries like Kenya and Rwanda demonstrate how lowering barriers for telecom operators fuels widespread connectivity, attracts investment, and spurs innovation.
Anambra’s decision places it firmly within this league of forward-looking regions, positioning the state as not just a beneficiary of technology but a driver of digital growth in Nigeria.
This is not just about cables in the ground, it’s about creating an ecosystem where technology thrives and opportunities multiply.
Anambra is proving that the future truly belongs to states that embrace technology not as a slogan, but as a strategy.
The state’s journey toward becoming a digital hub in Nigeria is still unfolding, but the foundation has been laid, strong and unshakable, by a single, daring choice.
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