Tech in Africa
African e-commerce giant Jumia partnered with agritech startup Twiga foods to enable farmers to use their platform to purchase fresh or processed foods. The deal gives shoppers an opportunity to buy repacked food bundles that are cheaply priced. The repackaged bundles cost way less compared to the prices on retail at the supermarket shelves.
The new cooperation is part of the new survival approaches businesses have had to adapt to as a result of the Covid-19 lockdown. The deal will see shoppers get goods they have purchased get delivered on the same day. The new relationship is symbiotic as Jumia can add a new segment of fresh produce onto their online platform while Twiga can guarantee delivery to all their clients. Twiga will be banking on their depots across the capital Nairobi to facilitate distribution across the suburbs.
Sam Chappatte, Jumia CEO, was upbeat of the new partnership even pointing out how it will be beneficial to Twiga as their customers can get “same-day free delivery” when ordering from the platform. Peter Njonjo, Twiga foods CEO, expressed optimism over their newfound ability to “scale up” as they continue to supply the continent with high quality, fresh and traceable foodstuffs.
Twiga foods were recently nominated by Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies 2020. Known for its mobile-based e-platform that links vendors to the farmer, Soko Yetu, the company has revolutionized the fresh produce market for the better. On the other hand, e-platforms such as Jumia have stepped up their efforts to fill in the distribution void arising from the restricted movement across the country.
