Jumia Technologies has signed a partnership deal with Chinese smartphone brand Realme to introduce cutting-edge devices in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The news comes as Jumia pushes to increase smartphone use in the region.
Jumia Technologies is a pan-African e-commerce platform led by French businessman Jeremy Hodara.
The partnership will provide Jumia consumers with access to best-in-class, affordable smartphones, Jumia Vice President for Consumer Electronics Sandeel Narayanan said.
“Both of our companies share similar values, and we look forward to a collaboration that would provide Jumia’s consumers access to best-in-class, affordable smartphones via Jumia’s seamless shopping experience,” Narayanan stressed.
Realme, one of the world’s fastest growing smartphone brands, will have an official store on the Jumia platform.
This will help the Chinese smartphone brand connect with online consumers in African markets, starting with Nigeria, then Kenya, Ghana, and Cote d’Ivoire.
While commenting on the partnership, Realme General Manager for the Middle East and Africa Jack Zhang said the partnership reflects the brand’s commitment to technology decentralization and e-commerce adoption in Africa.
“This partnership reflects our ongoing commitment to technology decentralization by making technology that used to be only in flagship models accessible to more consumers,” he said.
“We believe the younger generation in Africa will find our products to have the best combination of performance and trendsetting design,” Zhang added.
Founded in 2012 by Hodara and Sacha Poignonnecis, Jumia is Africa’s leading e-commerce platform.
Jumia is a broad-based marketplace, supported by its proprietary logistics business Jumia Logistics and its digital payment and fintech platform JumiaPay.
The pan-African technology firm expanded its first-party business in the first quarter of 2022. It is continuing to expand its FMCG assortment, particularly the grocery sub-category.
Jumia’s revenue reached $47.6 million in the first quarter of 2022, up 44 percent year-on-year.
The strong growth was mostly due to first-party revenue, which accelerated by 152 percent.
