The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of celebrations and reminiscing about Jumia’s 10 years in business. We’ve gathered to share our stories, plan what’s next, and discuss what’s most important - individually and collectively - as we embark on the next 10 years as a leading e-Commerce business in Africa.
As we reflect on where we’ve been and how we envision the future, it has been helpful to prioritize how we got to this point. It’s been a lot of fun working together to make our vision a reality, yet it has sometimes been challenging. What matters most is that we’ve proven our value to sellers, consumers, employees, industry partners, and others. By continuing to work harder and smarter, our future is bright.
Most importantly, we are honored to have so many talented Jumees as part of our team that makes great things happen every day. Entering our 10th anniversary year, we asked employees who are celebrating 10 years with Jumia to share their stories. What strikes us as interesting is the fact that their Jumia memories typically revolve around common themes and priorities. Here are a few stand-out comments and “10-Year Jumee” interviews that we found compelling.
Karim Ahmed, our Chief Marketing Officer, joined Jumia Egypt as a Social Media Specialist 10 years ago when no one really grasped the idea of e-commerce or understood the ease of ordering online, having packages delivered to the doorstep, paying on delivery, and being able to return items if needed. The change in mindset is something he is most proud of as part of his Jumia journey. Thank you for everything you do for Jumia, Karim!
Another valued member of our Jumia team is Zakaria ElMahfoudi, our COO for Jumia Maroc. He shared his experience with Jumia and the growth of e-commerce over the past decade by recalling his first day at Jumia when the office wasn’t even set up. Instead, it was one space with 10 Jumees on their laptops and a shared ambition to launch e-commerce in Morocco. He’s worked in various departments at Jumia, including marketing, content, design, IT and commercial, prior to the launch of Jumia Marketplace. He’s especially proud of the added value that e-commerce brings to the region and of the huge success of Black Friday. We’re proud of you, Zakaria!
João Granja is another talented Jumee who joined us early on, and he reports that it has been an amazing ride. He has had the pleasure of working with and managing many different people and helping them to grow within Jumia to serve in positions such as Director of Engineering, Principal Engineering Managers, and Product Owners. He helped the business expand its logistics to receive millions of users and orders, and to create what is now Jumia Marketing & Digital Services. In addition to this business line, he currently supports the Marketing and CRM teams. He says that being a part of Jumia from the start until what we are now is the best feeling you can have, he says.
The saying goes, “It takes a village to raise a child.” Similarly, it takes a team of talented Jumees to grow a great company. We’re on a mission to change the future of e-commerce in Africa, and we could not be prouder of all the talented Jumees on our team.
Haruna Godwin, our Head of Design in Nigeria, joined Jumia 10 years ago as the founding designer and has contributed greatly to Jumia brand. He applied in 2012 because he was following e-commerce trends and researching the key players when he discovered Jumia. Since coming on board as the founding designer, he has expanded his role significantly. He’s a mentor across countries and is proud that Jumia has become a household name that he sees displayed when he goes out for walks in the community. Thank you for your hard work, Haruna!
Sami Louali, our JumiaPay EVP Financial Services, joined Jumia 10 years ago and has contributed immensely to growing e-commerce and our payment platform JumiaPay in Africa. Like many of his colleagues, Sami joined Jumia with the goal of having a tangible impact and contributing to the development of e-commerce in Africa. He’s proud to be supporting sellers and business partners as a launch pad for entrepreneurs while also helping save consumers time and money. Kudos on your accomplishments thus far, Sami!
We are also incredibly proud to have Zando’s Head of Buying, Amanda Rick, as part of our team. Based in Cape Town, she has been an integral part of the Jumia family since inception. She cites the positive vibes, great energy, and commitment to supporting start-ups and entrepreneurs as reasons she’s passionate about Jumia. She’s especially proud to have supported Jumia’s IPO, which she views as a highlight of her Jumia journey since it provided the opportunity to meet many colleagues and share experiences across countries. Thank you, Amanda!
We’d also like you to meet Mojisola Sayo-Kazeem, one of our finance managers from Nigeria. On her first day at Jumia, she says she was impressed by the positive vibe, office set-up, and youthful energy from the moment she entered the building in Lekki. She joined us as a Finance Associate and was promoted to OPCO Manager and MPL Manager. Her overriding goal since 2012? To be a part of the e-commerce family while growing and learning new things. She’s proud to have put stringent measures in place for debt balance recovery, which has saved the company millions of Naira. Way to go, Mojisola!