Jumia, one of Egypt’s leading e-commerce firms, has announced the launch of a new tech centre in Alexandria Governorate. According to the company, the tech centre is Egypt’s first regional center for the development of technology and software. The centre represents part of Jumia’s strategy to provide new tech opportunities for youth and further expand e-commerce in the country.
The new center builds upon an existing center found in Cairo and will provide job opportunities to youth and assist them in becoming part of the digital innovation occurring in Egypt and Africa.
Regional e-commerce
The new centre will serve the 11 countries in Africa in which Jumia operates: Nigeria, Egypt, Kenya, Uganda, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Ghana, Ivory Coast, South Africa and Senegal.
According to Jumia, e-commerce has become a necessity, rather than a luxury given the restrictions imposed as a result of the COVID pandemic. e-commerce businesses are growing quickly due to the increasing demand from consumers to buy online in order to avoid any face-to-face interactions.
Commenting on the launch, Hesham Safwat, CEO of Jumia Egypt, said that “With this Tech Center, Jumia aims to contribute to Egypt becoming a center for entrepreneurship in electronic payments and software development in Egypt but also in Africa, allowing the transfer of expertise to the rest of the surrounding countries and providing electronic payment solutions that guarantee consumer security and ease of use.”
Innovating in Egypt
The new Tech Center represents part of Jumia’s commitment to transform Egypt into a centre for electronic payments and the development of software for the ICT sector.
Safwat added that Egypt was chosen to host the Tech Center as the company regards the country as a promising market for e-commerce. The improvement in the Egyptian economy and its positive growth rates over recent years are a result of economic reform programs and the political leadership’s interest in digital transformation, he said.
The tech centers in Cairo and Alexandria are home to approximately 150 technical specialists from various Egyptian governorates who have been trained by Jumia. The company is aiming to expand in Africa and double the number of staff at the Centers by the end of 2022.
The MENA e-commerce market is set to reach USD 50 billion by the end of 2022, according to recent research.
