Jumia Local Leads the Way in Supporting Made-In-Nigeria Products
With Nigeria’s 56th Independence Day coming up, we are reminded of the need to build a more diversified economy, by relying less on imported products and embracing homegrown, good quality Nigerian goods. Jumia, Africa’s largest online store has announced the launch of a new corporate social initiative dedicated to supporting made-in-Nigeria products. The launch event takes place on Saturday, 1st of October 2016, with a press event / business exhibition at Ayo Van Elmar’s Fashion Cafe, Oriental Hotel, Lagos.
The new social responsibility initiative known as: Jumia Local, aims to achieve two things. 1) Give customers a dedicated store where they can conveniently buy good quality, affordable products made or assembled in Nigeria; and 2) Give Nigerian entrepreneurs who are producing locally a strong platform and the backing required to grow their businesses and sell their products to a nationwide customer base – ultimately creating more local job opportunities and supporting the national economy.
Under the new initiative, entrepreneurs will have an opportunity to sell their locally made products on Jumia website at 0% commission and have their made-in-Nigeria products listed in a dedicated store. This means the entrepreneurs keep 100% of the proceeds from their sales for the first six months, so they can re-invest that money into scaling their business.
Jumia will also help local vendors leverage Jumia’s daily website visit of about a million people by promoting the vendor’s products through online and offline channels like jumia.com.ng, social media, the Jumia Mobile app, billboards, radio and so on.
Lastly, Jumia is working with key government and institutional partners to create a supportive ecosystem around entrepreneurs who produce locally, to provide them with access to resources, and training for business growth, access to funding, marketing, branding, production, and commercial strategy.
Jumia will also be hosting a local online competition for Nigerian entrepreneurs where the winner will be awarded the sum of HALF A MILLION NAIRA towards building or growing their business. The details of the competition will be announced during the Jumia Local launch and shared on Jumia’s Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter pages.
According to Bili Sule, Head of Business Development, Jumia Nigeria: “To build a sustainable and healthy economy for Nigeria, we need to focus less on imported goods and more on products made in Nigeria. The change starts with each and everyone of us and Jumia is committed to playing a significant part to promote our nation’s products. We encourage Nigerians to shop smarter, by buying locally made products instead of imported alternatives. It’s better for your pocket, and better for our economy.”