Kenya’s biggest ecommerce site, Jumia has been named by world respected business strategy advisory firm Boston Consulting Group (BCG) as one of the top five firms that are on course to create 3 million jobs in Africa.
In a report released on Thursday, , BCG says online marketplaces such as Jumia, Souq, Uber, and Travelstart could create around 3 million new jobs by 2025 across Africa. These digital platforms, which match buyers and providers of goods and services, could also raise incomes and boost inclusive economic growth with minimal disruption to existing businesses and workforce norms.
Speaking during the launch of the Report at Villa Rosa Kempinski, Jumia Kenya managing director Sam Chapatte underscored his firms’ role in job creation which it does by spurring the growth of small businesses.
“We meet Kenyan SMEs on a daily basis with great products, but who struggle to scale their businesses for lack of capital. Growing in the offline world means more shops and more stock – which takes working capital’,” said Chappatte.
Chappate added that “Online marketplaces allow these entrepreneurs to both reach new customers without additional investment & build up a digital sales history that can be used to unlock finance at a future point”.
Both industry and government should take actions that foster a mutual understanding both opportunities and concerns, strengthen trust through the sharing of resources, and build the right technological infrastructure and governance systems.
