The e-commerce giant Jumia said it will cease operations for its food delivery service, Jumia Food, in Nigeria and other six African countries by the end of December 2023.
The other six Jumia operational countries to face this are Kenya, Morocco, Côte d’Ivoire, Tunisia, Uganda, and Algeria.
“The more we focus on our physical goods business, the more we realise that there is huge potential for Jumia to grow, with a path to profitability. We must take the right decision and fully focus our management, our teams, and our capital resources to go after this opportunity. In the current context, it means leaving a business line that we believe does not offer the same upside potential—food delivery,” said Francis Dufay, Chief Executive Officer of Jumia.
Even though Jumia Food accounted for 11% of Jumia’s gross merchandise value in the first nine months of 2023, the company has had difficulty turning a profit since its founding.
This indicates that between January and September of 2023, the total value of food sold on Jumia Food was $64 million, or 11% of $581 million. a measure of the enormous size at which Jumia Food was functioning, but it is not a measure of profits.
Jumia Food has had mixed results since its beginning, but in 2021 it showed a noteworthy 82% year-over-year growth, indicating the company’s solid position in the meal delivery market.
Though, the business witnessed a significant drop in quarterly active customers and orders in 2023. a result of its change to concentrate on profitable areas and lower customer incentives to increase profitability.
Jumia disclosed that several food staff will be moved to the main physical goods division, implying that some may face layoffs.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Anthony Odiong: Nigerian Catholic priest sentenced to life in prison over sexual assault")