Global logistics and package delivery company UPS has today announced a new partnership with e-commerce leader Jumia to grow its delivery services in Africa.
Under this new partnership, Jumia will give UPS access to its last-mile logistics capabilities and infrastructure. What this means is, UPS customers will now be able to pick-up or drop-off packages for sending across the world at Jumia’s stations across different African countries with a variety of payment options. This partnership will also allow UPS to leverage the extensive network of Jumia drop-off and pick-up stations to expand the UPS reach and coverage across more towns and cities in Africa.
The collaboration will initially cover Kenya, Morocco, and Nigeria, with plans for expansion to Ghana and Ivory Coast, and thereafter to the remaining African countries where Jumia operates.
“At the beginning of our journey, 10 years ago, logistics infrastructure was one of the most challenging aspects of our operating environment. This challenge was a catalyst for us to build an unparalleled logistics platform in Africa offering our sellers and consumers reliable, convenient and cost-effective delivery services.“ said Apoorva Kumar, Senior Vice President of Logistics, Jumia.
“Today, we are helping other businesses overcome these infrastructure challenges by giving them access to our logistics platform. We are delighted and humbled by the opportunity to partner up with UPS, a global logistics leader, to offer the last mile solutions in Africa. We view this as a validation of the strength of our logistics platform as well as an incentive to double down on our efforts to further enhance our services and build a world-class logistics business in Africa,” he added.
Commenting on the partnership, Gregory Goba Ble, Vice President of Engineering and Operations for the Indian subcontinent, Middle East and Africa, UPS said the partnership will help small and medium-sized businesses in Africa that make up 90 percent of all businesses on the continent and are the backbone of the economy. “UPS’s asset-light approach, like the Jumia partnership, offers a pathway for businesses to quickly and reliably connect to new customers around the world through our global network, potentially accelerating their revenue growth,” he said.
Last year, Jumia announced that it was opening its logistics services to external clients for deliveries in Kenya. The company said it will leverage its logistics networks which is one of the largest in the country to support e-commerce and express Jumia Food deliveries.
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