5 top e-commerce platforms in Africa
Growth of e-commerce Gives Rise to Sophisticated African Digital Consumer After scouring the store for a new pair of sneakers, Paballo Molahlehi finally lands on the one that catches her attention. She stares at it excitedly, swooning over the fresh pair of purple Reeboks. “It’s precisely the one I was looking for, I knew I was going to find it here” she nods as she adds the shoes to her shopping basket. Thrilled with her latest addition to her growing sneaker collection, she navigates her way to the pay point. Molahlehi is doing all this while reclining comfortably on her couch, enjoying the convenience of online shopping. “I stopped going in-store after discovering online shopping. It makes more sense because my purchases get delivered to me for free, and I usually get discounts.” [adsanity align=’aligncenter’ id=144658] Molahlehi is among Africa’s growing middle class who have money to spend and whose shopping habits have changed. With the surge of internet penetration on the continent, many Africans are easing into the habit of shopping online. According to a McKinsey’s Lions go digital report, online shopping could account for up to 10% of retails sales (with a value of around US $75 billion) by 2025, as more Africans gain access to the internet. The increasing access to the internet is seeing a rapid emergence of e-commerce sites eager to tap into the continent’s growing online consumerism. The likes of Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa are at the forefront of this evolution. Companies such as Jumia, a Lagos-based online retailer, are dipping their finger in almost all major markets on the continent, cutting themselves an enviable piece of every pie. Jumia is also among Africa’s best-funded e-commerce sites, having raised US $150 million in funding in 2014. As more people take to the internet to do their shopping, the demand for devices such as smartphones also increases. The 2017 Accenture Digital Consumer Survey finds that in countries such as South Africa, smartphone acquisition increased from 52% in 2016 and 63% in 2017. Some of the more technologically advanced nations like Kenya and Nigeria boast a smartphone uptake of more than 44% and 30% respectively. Across the continent, the number of smartphone users saw a nearly twofold increase, reaching more than 226 million. This spike in smartphone penetration is steering a digital revolution on the continent, exposing users to the endless opportunities the internet provides. Here are some of the top e-commerce platforms in Africa that are reaping the benefits of the booming internet penetration on the continent. JUMIA With a mission statement and ethos for connecting African consumers and entrepreneurs to do better business together, Jumia is blazing the trail of e-commerce sites in Africa. The company is creating a platform where small, medium and large African companies link with their potential market, thus creating a new-age ecosystem that bypasses the middle man. Launched in 2012 in Nigeria, the site has solidified a footprint in over 23 African countries, with a network of over half a million sellers since its inception. Jumia has managed to create a stellar reputation for being a hub for products and services spanning across the retail, food and hospitality, talent recruitment, concierge and the hotel and catering industries. Apart from servicing the needs of consumers and businesses, Jumia has also been upskilling and aiding employment for many Africans who are qualified in areas such as Engineering, IT and online marketing and web development. TAKEALOT South Africa’s Takealot is the go-to online retailer for the shopper that seeks a convenient and simplified online buying and user experience. The site has been around for over a decade, having been established in the year 2002. Its broad catalogue and variety of products in entertainment gives it an impressionable edge. Customers can shop anything from books to games, computers and TVs. Part of what makes Takealot an e-commerce success story is that the online retailer strives to provide its customers with the very latest products in the market, coupled with up-to-date product specification. In April 2017, Takealot scored a significant investment of over US $69 million from Naspers, one of Africa’s biggest digital companies. This came after the online retailer received US $100 million investment from investment firm Tiger Global Management in 2014. Naspers boasts a 53,5% stake in Takealot, while Tiger Global owns about 34%. KILIMALL Kenya’s largest online shopping mall, Kilimall is relatively new in the e-commerce space but has remarkably managed to create an inter-continental mark since its launch in 2014. The site, now established in other countries such as Nigeria and Uganda, has a retail customer base that continues to boom. Kilimall is known for providing electronics such as phones, computers and gadgets, stocking top brands such Samsung, Huawei, Lenovo, and Phillips. The site also offers other products such as home appliances, clothes, books, health and beauty products, and more. All its services are accompanied by a 7-day free return policy on their premium range of goods, making it an attractive choice for consumers. KONGA Konga has come a long way since its humble beginnings in 2012 as a Lagos-only e-commerce site that specialised in baby and beauty care. The online platform has morphed into a major online retailer, often dubbed “The Amazon of Africa.” In 2015, Konga joined forces with leading Nigerian banks to launch KongaPay, a safe and convenient online payment method to tackle the issue of trust in Africa when it came to online payments. The online marketplace was one of the first in Africa to create a system of payment that was integrated with world banks – an innovation that uses click system that eliminated the sharing of sensitive information during payments. With a backing from the South African media giant, Naspers, Konga is now a major player in the e-commerce space. In 2014, Naspers, which has a 50% stake in Konga, invested US $50 million in the online store. BIDORBUY Established in 1999, South Africa’s
The Naija Quiz- Are you a daughter of the soil or nah?
Nigerians are fun, smart and cheerful people. Despite having so many tribes in one country, there is still an underlying trait we all possess. Call it the Naija swag or any other label but we can’t deny this inner Naija spirit that never carries last! So your name is probably Funmilayo, Chiamaka, Hauwa or Esosa but it still doesn’t prove that you’re Nigerian at heart. From your childhood memories to your sense of judgment and humor, this quiz is a test on how much Naija-ness (new word alert) is in you. P.S: If you fail, you will be shipped off outside Nigeria. #Gbam! [viralQuiz id=14]
Third Stop on the Delicious Naija Food Tour? Daura, Katsina
Katsina is claimed to be the home of heritage and hospitality, so Delicious Naija went to go see what that was all about. A trip to the history-heavy Kusugu Well solidifies Bunmi’s place as a tourist and her ride on the significant horse had her feeling a little like royalty. Then it was food time! The real reason we’re here… Lucky Bunmi got to share a meal of Tuwo Shinkafa & Miyan Kuka with the famous Northern musician, Sani Danja (Man, you should see that plate of Tuwo – salivating galore!) And then she was off to Hajara Sanni Lawal’s home, a young wife, mother, civil servant, teacher, MAGGI Star and all-round boss! She taught Bunmi how to make millet-based Fura & Nunu and a local cous cous based meal called Brabisco. So, if you’re on that healthy train, this Katsina episode was totally for you! Hajara Sanni’s husband says he rushes home everyday and hardly eats outside… that’s #goals and we knew the recipe was going to be lit! Definitely going to get the family to eat dinner Daura-style soon. We really enjoyed this episode and you should catch up on Delicious Naija episodes on the Maggi YouTube channel. The food journeys of Delicious Naija can always be watched at 7:30pm Saturday on Africa Magic (Family), at 5pm Sunday on NTA and at 5:30pm Friday on Arewa24. But if you can’t get to these, that’s okay – there’s Facebook, Instagram & Youtube to keep you updated! Go watch! Sponsored post
Second Stop on the Delicious Naija Food Tour? Ibadan
Delicious Naija is back with a trip to Ibadan, ‘the city at the edge of the savannah’ – capital of Oyo State. After a visit to Mapo Hall for a good dose of history, Bunmi is off to visit with her good friend Saka. Yes the very same warm and funny Nollywood actor & comedian Saka is Bunmi’s first host. They visit the lush Agodi Park & Garden and then move on to have a meal that is always in the same sentence with Ibadan. You guessed right: Amala! But the trip isn’t complete without making a meal traditional to Ibadan and so the MAGGI Star of this episode, Grace Obagunwa, teaches us how to make the local Ishapa soup. This mother, wife and teacher tells us the perks of being on good terms with your mother-in-law, one of which is learning traditional recipes like Pounded Yam and Ishapa Soup! The food journeys of Delicious Naija can always be watched at 7:30pm Saturday on Africa Magic (Family), at 5pm Sunday on NTA and at 5:30pm Friday on Arewa24. But if you can’t get to these, that’s okay – there’s Facebook, Instagram & Youtube to keep you updated! Go watch! Sponsored post
Are you a pain to work with?
In every workplace, there is the good, the bad and the ugly! Some colleagues are as sweet as pie, fun as bubbles, but others can be a pain like you’re having your period cramps all over again! So, how do you know if it is you who is the difficult person or if the difficult person is someone else? Before you start pointing fingers, take this quiz and find out the kind of person you’re at work. [viralQuiz id=10]
First Stop on the Delicious Naija Tour? Port Harcourt
Food is never just food. Our food represents generations of knowledge, health choices, livelihoods and culture! Delicious Naija is a new series from MAGGI that’s exploring food and culture from all parts of Nigeria; right from the Tuwo-eating North to the Periwinkle-crushing South. Everyone from the foodie to the lover of cooking to instagram hashtagger will enjoy this series. Bunmi will take us on a taste adventure to meet the women and men who are making a difference with their cooking in their families and communities. Sandra Ekweseli of Cool FM Port-Harcourt gives Bunmi the best Rivers State welcome possible: Bole & Fish. Watching them eat the Port-Harcourt specialty from Bole King is enough to make your mouth water. After a visit to Isaac Boro Memorial Park, Bunmi goes on to learn how to make the local dish, Onunu & Fresh Fish Peppersoup, from our MAGGI Star – Judith Udala. The warmth in this family is beautiful to watch and we can’t wait to try our hands at making this Port-Harcourt favourite! The food journeys of Delicious Naija can always be watched at 7:30pm Saturday on Africa Magic (Family), at 5pm Sunday on NTA and at 5:30pm Friday on Arewa24. But if you can’t get to these, that’s okay – there’s Facebook, Instagram & Youtube to keep you updated! Go watch! Sponsored post
Social Media Productivity: How much time to spend online?
Social media is like the best thing that happened to us since the invention of jollof rice but some of us have taken this social networking thing too far…we all just need to take a chill pill! Take this quiz to find out if you’re a spending the right amount of time on social media and if it has become your hobby, habit or addiction. [viralQuiz id=11]
Sex tapes, exploitation and public shaming: The case of Chidinma Okeke
[bctt tweet=”How do we end the sexual exploitation of young ambitious women? @MercedesAlfa asks” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] A sex tape was leaked online recently involving Chidinma Okeke, Miss Anambra 2015 and another woman. The Internet has been awash with comments and criticisms. You know Nigerians love a good scandal, even more they love to play judge and jury. Chidinma has been crucified, as some have called for her to be prosecuted. Remember under Jonathan’s government, homosexuality was rendered a criminal offence under the law. This Ventures Africa article points out that we need to be asking the right questions and I agree completely. What exactly was the motive for posting the controversial video online? Who actually leaked the video? Often times, when nude photos or a sex tape is leaked, people focus on condemning the participants especially if they’re women. But the pertinent questions are rarely asked. If we are able to step out of our hypocritical stances for a second, we would ask why the item was posted online in the first place. Well, congratulations to those who fell for the bait. Chidinma Okeke is reportedly only 18 years old. Have we considered that she was very likely exploited by the pageant organisers, or someone with a close link to them? The number of young women and girls who are sexually and economically exploited cannot actually be estimated according to this BBC piece. [bctt tweet=”The number of young women who are sexually and economically exploited cannot be estimated” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] The numbers may be even higher in the pageant industry. It’s alleged that the other woman in the video is also a beauty queen. Shouldn’t we be talking about how to solve the problem of shadowy figures sexually exploiting ambitious women? Exploitation comes in different forms and shades. For Chidinma, it seems to be in the form of revenge porn. Yes, revenge porn really is a thing. Simply put, revenge porn is what it means when a sex tape is leaked without consent. It is, “sexually explicit portrayal of one or more people distributed without their consent”. More and more women are now speaking out about their experiences in a world where women are made to feel ashamed for being exposed online. We should encourage women speaking up and accord them the necessary support to move on from it. If anyone should be shamed, it should be whoever was behind the camera and whoever sent the video out. I’m also side-eyeing anyone who downloaded the video and watched it. I came across a particular comment in which the person asserted that Chidinma Okeke has degraded and lowered the standard of womanhood. Another one claimed that this is one of the direct results of feminism. Sigh! I don’t even know what the standard of womanhood means and how one person’s actions can lower it. The somewhat good news to come out of this is, Chidinma will be receiving an award for her tenacity. I truly hope she’s receiving the support she needs and that this doesn’t spell the end of her career. I’d like to see Chidinma bounce back. Outside the context of sexual exploitation, women have sex. Deal with it. Some women have lesbian or bisexual relations. Gasp! Stop putting women on a pedestal. We aren’t sacred beings. We are human, period. [bctt tweet=”Stop putting women on a pedestal. We aren’t sacred beings. We are human, period. ” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Some of us are quirky, loud, rambunctious, braggadocious, flirtatious, and more. Sorry if we don’t conform to your ideals. Most African countries don’t have laws protecting women from revenge porn and other forms of exploitation. Here are some resources you should consider reading for your safety.
Dear Nigeria, we really need to do better for the girl child
Sometimes I disconnect from current issues because I feel powerless at all the debauchery going on, especially in Nigeria. It was the International day of the girl child only a few days ago but the truth is that we have such a long way to go in according the right value to girls and women. Going through my Twitter feed, I came across the link to a Bella Naija story currently making the rounds. Apparently, the Emir of Katsina state is alleged to have abducted a fourteen year old girl and forced her into marriage. The Emir is at least fifty years her senior. Please let’s process that for a second. It doesn’t matter if he was eighteen or twenty because it would still be wrong. But, for someone who is old enough to be her grandfather, it makes it even more appalling. And yet, he is supposed to be a leader who should set precedence helping his people to do better. Just like in Ese Oruru‘s case, it is alleged that the girl Habiba Isiyaku was abducted and forced to convert to another religion, Islam. Apparently, the Katsina Emirate Council considers the marriage irreversible. It was reported that the Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has tried to intervene in this case after the girl’s parents cried foul. He condemned the action and appealed to the Emir also stating that in his own religion, a girl could not be given out in marriage without her parents’ consent. But can we not make this about religion? Because that would be problematic. This is not a Christian or Muslim polity. We are governed by constitutional laws, no? The legal framework I believe comes from a humanitarian perspective. At fourteen years, she is considered a minor and CANNOT consent to marriage. Child marriages must be abolished and the Nigerian senate needs to take a stronger stance towards this. What’s more, the judiciary must begin to enforce the law in this regard. This should be an imprisonable offence. No one should be above the law either. We need to send a strong message throughout our great nation that we as the Nigerian state, do not condone child marriages. In many constitutions, this is regarded to as statutory rape. Let’s also recognise the fact that several crimes have allegedly been committed here. Abduction, domestic violence (because emotional abuse), statutory rape (assuming the ‘marriage’ has been consummated). Let’s outlaw this societal scourge and demand the highest penalty for the offender. If we continue to shout tradition or religion, we will go nowhere. Nigeria please, we really need to do better for the girl child. Every one of us is Ese Oruru, and Habiba Isiyaku, and the Chibok girls. We want unfettered access to education, right to adulthood, right to healthcare, right to economic opportunities.
4 lessons we can learn from DJ Cuppy and Rona Wigs
Well, everyone knows or should know Florence Ifeoluwa Otedola aka DJ Cuppy. If you also do not know Sharon Adeleke aka Rona Wigs, then you should know the Adelekes, that is Davido’s family. So what do these two women have in common? Daddy is stinking rich, yes, but that not withstanding, they work and they are really good at what they do. Now, these ladies have a couple of things to teach us about business and life in general. 1. Daddy’s money is not necessarily mine When asked why she was making wigs, Sharon replied; “Yes my daddy has his money but it is not my money. My daddy has his own money, Davido has his, I want to make mine.” It is quite accepted to see a rich kid live off trust funds and have an enormous social life. They do not necessarily have to work, I mean who has to work when the money is there, right? No. Here are two women, daughters of some of the richest men on the continent slugging it out. Well not really slugging it out, but the hustle is real baby. Sharon and Cuppy do it normal way, starting something sustaining the drive, making a name and creating a global brand. 2. Passion drives Anybody who knows Cuppy personally, knows she loves her music production. She is crazy about what she does and takes time to do it right. No half-bakes for the eclectic DJ. Sharon gushes over her wigs like they are the new definition of bae. It is evident that she enjoys what she does and she has turned it into a business. They work their passion and make money from it like no (wo)man’s business. Their businesses show the depth of their dreams. This is not just mere working to show that they can work, no, this is a dream. You see this in the hands-on way Sharon handles Rona wigs. She uses social media to advertise herself and is fully involved in the entire wig-making process. And well, it’s not like Cuppy can give out the spin table to someone else to “help” her spin. 3. Know what you do Cuppy can hold a crowd’s rapt attention with her music. She remixes almost everything and puts the “DJ Cuppy” spin on it. You see her right there on stage making new sounds out of old songs. This is not just someone who can DJ, this is a lady who can spin. Sharon said “I love making wigs and I am good at it”. Nuff said! These are not rich kids pretending to work , nah, these are Motherland Moguls who work! And there is no stopping them. 4. Playing the daddy card Well, it might not be your daddy, but if someone around you has the fame and the money, make it count. We are not all children with rich dads even though we may know some. We cannot deny the massive boost that being Otedola’s daughter has given to DJ Cuppy or how being an Adeleke has and will influence Rona wigs. Sharon openly admits to having had a privileged life. Still, both women have something that could be watered. Yes, some people will get away with daddy’s money and position. But if Sharon and DJ Cuppy use “daddy’s” card, it’s to rake up the market, connect and build their brands.