GHANA – Jumia, an e-Commerce platform, has partnered with Accra-based eco-friendly mobility facilities company SolarTaxi to provide affordable and eco-friendly delivery of online orders to consumers.
Jumia said that this comes with a shared vision of ensuring a clean and sustainable environment using renewable energy, coupled with the need to keep consumers safe especially during future waves of COVID-19.
Consumers who order food, groceries and other essential items on Jumia can get their orders delivered conveniently and environmentally friendly to their homes or offices by SolarTaxi riders.
“Partnering with SolarTaxi Ghana helps us to play our part in keeping our environment safe,” Tolulope Goerge-Yanwah, CEO of Jumia Ghana, said about the new collaboration.
“The use of solar-driven vehicles and motorbikes for online deliveries keeps all our stakeholders safe from fuel emissions. The health and safety of our consumers, as well as delivery agents, is a priority. The use of SolarTaxi bikes and vehicles also ensures affordability to our consumers who can now enjoy reduced shipping fees.”
“The use of solar-driven vehicles and motorbikes for online deliveries keeps all our stakeholders safe from fuel emissions.”
Tolulope Goerge-Yanwah – CEO, Jumia Ghana
Because SolarTaxi’s solar-powered vehicles have electric motors, they burn no fuel and produce no emissions. This helps to preserve the country’s natural resources and eliminate the high fuel costs involved with making several deliveries a day.
“In today’s world, health is a major concern to everybody, especially diseases related to the respiratory system. In view of this, we have partnered with Jumia Ghana to provide eco-friendly and affordable transportation to Ghanaians through its online delivery service,” Jorge Appiah, CEO of SolarTaxi Ghana said.
Appiah says that because of the reduction of emissions, he hopes that this will go hand-in-hand with lessening respiratory issues in the country and thus aid in its fight against COVID-19.
The first phase of this partnership sees over 20 solar-powered motorcycles being used for online deliveries on Jumia with plans already in place to scale to over 100 by the end of the year. Both companies have pledged to expand this service to other parts of the country in the coming months.
Orderin relaunches
Meanwhile, South Africa’s first food delivery app, Orderin, has relaunched as a B2B delivery-as-a-service platform to help bring delivery capabilities to other companies in the country. This follows successful projects of helping other businesses develop their own delivery services.
This new direction involves providing retail companies with end-to-end solutions, including providing the software needed to build the service and delivery fulfillment.
Orderin plans to expand into more e-commerce categories, including food and beverages, wholesale, and pharmaceutical.
“While South Africa saw massive e-commerce growth through the course of 2020, it’s still a ‘winner-takes-most’ environment. As the first company to have introduced on-demand delivery locally, we wanted to change that and empower businesses across a variety of industries, by providing them with industry leading solutions that create best-in-class online retail experiences for their customers,” Orderin CEO Thembani Biyam said in a statement.
“With these offerings, we’ve ensured that retailers are able to fully leverage the entire stack or integrate it into their existing ecosystems. Our core infrastructure encompasses every possible element of delivery and fulfilment.”
The company, founded in 2012, launched its online food ordering platform in 2013. In 2015, it launched its on-demand fast food delivery app, becoming the first in South Africa to offer this service. However, in 2020, Orderin officially shut down its consumer business.
The Orderin business now offers customer-facing solutions and bespoke platforms that retailers can use to take their offerings online.
