News
Jumia’s Nigeria Food Index Shows Growth in Online Delivery
Jumia has published its first Nigeria Food Index, showing the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on food trends in Nigeria.
The report, released over the weekend, shows that the online food delivery is changing habits in unexpected ways for businesses and consumers due to the pandemic.
It further shows that the growing popularity of fast food, coupled with the growing trends for convenience and value for money, have opened up opportunities for the food market in Nigeria.
The report indicates that the country’s agricultural sector experienced a major boom in 2019, significantly responsible for the 90.23 percent contribution made by non-oil sectors to Nigeria’s GDP.
The index further shows that the food and grocery retail market had total revenues of $44.9 billion, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.7 percent in the last eight years.
Similarly, the report indicates that overall grocery retailing continues to expand, as consumers seek comfort and convenience when shopping for food. The food segment was the market’s most lucrative, with total revenues of $33.7 billion, equivalent to 75 percent of the market’s overall value.
Also, online food delivery is gaining momentum through companies such as Jumia Food. With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for food rose significantly, especially online food delivery as a result of the lockdown and social distancing guidelines. This was because many people relied heavily on food delivery as opposed to physical shopping in grocery markets.
The report highlighted two major drivers of the growth observed in 2020 – demography and the COVID-19 lockdowns. While with a growing population averaging 18 years old, a new generation of Nigerian middle class consumers are spending more money online on food and grocery services, the lockdowns induced by the COVID-19 pandemic also contributed to this evolution in habits.
The report further highlighted that, while most restaurants are popular in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and Ibadan, Lagos leads in terms of volume of online food orders. It also shows, among others, that pizza, Chinese and shawarma are the most promising cuisines; lunch leads in the time of orders with 65 percent; weekdays record the biggest volume in orders, peaking on Wednesday at 16 percent; males place more orders (56 percent) than females (44 percent); and Port Harcourt leads in delivery timing at 26 minutes.
The Index also shows that, while Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), Cold Stone Creamery and Pizza Hut come out as the most popular international brands in the country due to consumers’ proclivity to chicken-related orders, Chicken Republic, The Place, Kilimanjaro, Sweet Sensation and Drumstick are the most popular local food vendors due to the affordability of their offers.
Jumia, the leading e-commerce platform in Africa, explains that the positive trend recorded in the agricultural sector offers the prospect of increased jobs, greater prosperity, reduced hunger and improved opportunities for Nigerian farmers and entrepreneurs to participate in the global economy.
Over the years, Nigeria’s growing online audience has seen an increase in international brands setting up shop to tap into the growing middle-income segment. Direct investments from players such as KFC, Cold Stone Creamery and Pizza Hut have been achieved.
Online food delivery players such as Jumia have also played a key role in shaping supply chains and opening up the markets to new entrants. Local producers and restaurants have embraced this evolution and reached new consumers as well as grown their businesses in spite of these challenging times.
“This pandemic crisis has shown the world that online food delivery is not just a commodity, but a necessity. The food business adapted quickly to the new normal, by availing contactless and cashless deliveries,” said Shreenal Ruparelia, Chief Commercial Officer, Jumia Food.
“We also started to provide support to local food vendors to keep their businesses running during this difficult time. With our food partners, we will continue to deploy capabilities across the food value chain to ensure consumers buy food online safely and at the right price, in line with the theme of this year’s World Food Day celebration of ‘Grow, Nourish, Sustain Together,’” added Shreenal.
Nigeria’s population is expected to double over the next 30 years at a growth rate averaging around 2.3% a year. With its diversification plan from oil production, the country is set to witness growth in a large consumer market, such as the food and grocery retail market.
Jumia Food is Africa’s largest Food delivery company operating in 9 countries in the continent. The consumers can order restaurant meals, groceries, drinks, pharmacies, and supermarkets, having then delivered in less than 45 minutes.
Ogba Ogbaga, an Abuja-based lawyer, has said that he has been instructed to institute legal proceedings against MTN Nigeria, Airtel Nigeria, Globacom, 9mobile and MultiChoice Nigeria, operators of DStv, over what he described as unfair consumer practices relating to expiring data bundles and television subscriptions.
In a statement posted on Facebook, Ogbaga said his law firm, GIMBG Legals, received instructions from its client, KAA, also known as KaaTruths, to challenge the companies’ subscription policies in court.
According to him, the proposed suit will question whether telecom operators and DStv’s subscription models comply with provisions of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA) 2018 and other applicable laws.
Ogbaga alleged that telecom providers operate internet data services that are unfair to consumers, claiming subscribers sometimes do not receive the services they paid for but still lose their subscriptions once the validity period expires.
He also criticised DStv’s subscription model, arguing that consumers lose paid viewing time due to factors such as power outages, adverse weather conditions and service interruptions, while subscriptions continue to count down regardless.
“Our clients have complained that MTN data services are unduly one-sided,” Ogbaga said, adding that the legal action would also extend to other telecommunications providers and DStv.
He said the court action would seek judicial determination on whether the companies’ subscription practices comply with consumer protection laws.
The lawyer also invited interested legal practitioners to collaborate on the case, saying his firm would provide updates as the matter progresses.
In a separate Facebook post on Wednesday, Ogbaga said previous policy discussions, town hall meetings and debates at the National Assembly had failed to address the concerns raised by consumers.
He argued that telecom operators regularly carry out maintenance and network upgrades that temporarily disrupt services without extending customers’ subscription periods, while DStv subscribers also lose viewing time because of electricity outages and weather-related disruptions.
The National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) has commenced the issuance of new licence certificates to insurance companies that successfully met the industry’s new minimum capital requirements, marking the formal beginning of a new regulatory era aimed at strengthening the financial capacity, governance and global competitiveness of Nigeria’s insurance sector.
At a ceremony held at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja, the Commissioner for Insurance, Olusegun Ayo Omosehin, presented the new licence certificates to compliant operators, describing the exercise as a major milestone in the industry’s recapitalisation programme.
According to the Commission, a total of 43 insurance companies declared compliant with the new capital requirements are expected to receive the new licence certificates in phases.
Omosehin congratulated the successful companies, saying the issuance of the new licences signals the beginning of a stronger regulatory framework anchored on improved capitalisation, sound corporate governance, innovation and sustainable growth.
He urged operators to leverage their enhanced capital base to develop innovative insurance products, improve operational efficiency and deepen insurance penetration across the country.
The Commissioner said the Commission expects the recapitalised companies to deliver stronger financial performance while maintaining high standards of professionalism and customer service.
He also announced that NAICOM’s next major regulatory initiative would be the implementation of the Risk-Based Capital (RBC) framework, under which insurers’ capital levels would be aligned with the risks inherent in their respective business portfolios.
According to him, the new framework will further strengthen the industry’s resilience by ensuring that insurers maintain capital commensurate with the risks they underwrite, thereby enhancing policyholder protection and boosting market confidence.
Omosehin reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to removing regulatory impediments where necessary while maintaining effective oversight to safeguard policyholders and strengthen confidence in the insurance market.
The issuance of the new licence certificates marks the commencement of a phased transition to higher capital standards aimed at improving the financial capacity, solvency and claims-paying ability of insurance companies operating in Nigeria.
Management of Nigeria CommunicationsWeek Media has withdrawn its publication titled “Adefolarin Ogunsanya and the Allegations of Shareholder Interference and Self-Dealing at Pan African Towers,” which was published on its platform.
The decision to retract the story follows an editorial review to ensure that the platform maintains the highest standards of accuracy, fairness and responsible journalism in reporting matters that are the subject of ongoing judicial proceedings.
Nigeria CommunicationsWeek acknowledges that the issues raised in the publication remain before the courts and have not been finally determined.
Accordingly, the organisation has decided to remove the article from its platforms pending the conclusion of the legal processes or the availability of additional verified information.
The publication regrets any inconvenience or misunderstanding the report may have caused to readers or any individuals or organisations mentioned in the story.
Nigeria CommunicationsWeek remains committed to the principles of balanced, factual and ethical journalism and will continue to uphold professional standards in its coverage of judicial and corporate governance matters.
ITUC-Africa Faults FG’s Plans to Remove Electricity Subsidy
SEC Begins Full e-Registration for Capital Market Services
NAICOM Revokes Nigeria Reinsurance’s Licence over Failure to Meet MCR
Many Nigerian Airlines May Collapse within 30 Days – Onyema
Ogbaga, Abuja Lawyer to Sue Telcos, DStv over Alleged Unfair Practices
NRC, Ponzi Scheme Collapses Resulting Loss of Billions of Naira
From Scarcity to Scale: What Africa Can Learn from India’s Agricultural Transformation
EFCC Busts NIS Visa Overstay Racket, Uncovers N700m in an Account
BON Establishes Six Ad Hoc Committees to Modernize Broadcasting
How EFCC Turned Recovered Loot Into School Supplies for Thousands of Nigerian Students
E-Business3 days agoKaspersky Identifies Cyberespionage as a Growing Threat Across Africa, Others
Broadcasting3 days agoNBC Files Fresh Appeal against Judgment Barring it from Imposing Fines on Broadcast Stations
News3 days agoINTERPOL Report Shows AI Powers 55% of Cybercrimes in Africa Amid $484m Losses
E-Financial3 days agoNigerians Lost N25.85Bn to Digital Payment Fraud in 2025 –CBN
Telecom3 days agoWhy Strong Institutions Remain Africa’s True Growth Engine
News3 days agoNigeria Expands Deep-tech Skills Pipeline
E-Financial3 days agoNRS Announces 30 Percent Tax on Corporate Crypto Income
E-Business2 days agoKaspersky Reveals a New Malicious Framework Targeting Cryptocurrency Users with the Use of OkoSpyware