Africa-focused e-commerce firm Jumia Technologies has partnered with drone-delivery startup Zipline to deliver household items to remote areas of Ghana, the companies said on Thursday.
The venture will combine San Francisco-based Zipline's automated, on-demand delivery system with Jumia's distribution network to enable customers from remote and rural areas to order and receive electronics, cosmetics, fashion and other products.
Jumia, an online marketplace for vendors and food sellers, with associated services including logistics and payments, was the first Africa-focused tech start-up to list on the New York Stock Exchange in 2019. It has a current market capitalisation of $741 million, according to Refinitiv data.
"This will... provide much-needed access to rural and remote areas where conventional delivery services have challenges," said Apoorva Kumar, Jumia Group chief operating officer. Drone deliveries of medical supplies and vaccines picked up pace during the COVID-19 pandemic as countries and companies rushed to find innovative ways to reach people when movement of goods was restricted.
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