Africa Internet Group, which recently re-branded to JUMIA GROUP has been recognized in the MIT prestigious list of the 50 smartest companies- 2016. Ranking 47 on the list, JUMIA stood out as the only company with main focus on the developing African online economy. The list published by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology mentioned, among other credits the company’s flagship project ‘Jumia’ – Africa’s biggest online shopping mall and it’s online booking portal ‘Jumia Travel’ as the continent’s leader in their respective sectors.
“Jumia Group is proud to be on this list, as it is great testimony to our relentless efforts in tapping into, and bringing to full the potential in Africa’s digital market” said Sacha Poignonnec, co-founder of Jumia Group. “We are committed to filling the gaps in this massively growing economy through technology; we believe that for every challenge encountered therein lies an opportunity”.
Jumia, which achieved the impressive “Africa’s first Unicorn” title earlier in the year joins an exclusive list of iconic companies that made to the year’s list including Microsoft, Facebook, Chinese eCommerce giant, Alibaba, world’s leading automobile manufacturer, Toyota and SpaceX, an American aerospace company.
“This list draws a lot of attention to what new age companies are doing to capitalize on the digital possibilities brought forth by the Internet. We chose to focus on Africa as the leading digital frontier. He further explained that apart from creating jobs and exploring growth opportunities in the online hotel sector, Jumia Travel, which features more than 25,000 hotels in Africa has actively made it possible for other investors and entrepreneurs to travel and experience the continent without any hindrance. ‘’ Paul Midy, the CEO, Jumia Travel said,
MIT Smartest Companies was first published in 2010 under the title, Most Innovative Companies. This year’s list mainly spread between Biotech, Computing & Telecommunication, Transportation and Internet & Digital Media. In the opening essay, there is a clear call for players to invest “innovations that inject a healthy growth to the economy and more well-paying jobs”
