Miles of cars bumper against bumper… in The spring, the violent showers that come almost every day to Nairobi, which freeze as soon as traffic is already chaotic. A challenge – a more ! – Vishal Haria, head of the Kenya-logistics at Jumia, the leader of e-commerce in Africa. “The management of delivery deadlines is a daily challenge,” confirms the young Indian. Not what can make him lose his composure, however. In a city whose streets have hardly any name, its mission is like an obstacle course. Each day, all customers are called to verify the addresses. “We need landmarks such as the color of the house next door,” he says. It should also remind them to have enough to pay on them, because most don’t do it online. “Because they do not have a credit card, are concerned about fraud or want to be able to examine the products, more than two-thirds of buyers pay on delivery, in cash or by mobile payment.
Poor infrastructure, security issues, sub-banking services of the population, low penetration of the Internet… The complexity is at the heart of the DNA of Jumia. An observation which applies in Kenya as in the other thirteen countries in which the company operates on the continent : from Egypt to South Africa, passing by the Côte d’ivoire and, especially, the giant Nigeria (190 million inhabitants), its flagship and main market. “All these difficulties, what are the building bricks. It was not discovered on arrival that there were potholes in Africa, “jokes Jeremy Hodara, 36 years old, who started the adventure Jumia in 2012, in tandem with Sacha Poignonnec, another “Frenchie” of his generation. These two former consultants from McKinsey have been put into orbit by Rocket Internet, the incubator of the German brothers Samwer, known for launching start-up companies copying american hits.
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