The United Nations Children’s Fund and Jumia, an African e-commerce platform, have partnered in support of Giga’s work in Nigeria to connect every school to the Internet and every young person to information, opportunity, and choice.
They expressed the commitment to addressing the digital divide, widened by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In Nigeria, Jumia and Giga will work on two prototypes for digital payment mechanisms that can be used to make school connectivity procurement more transparent and efficient, according to a statement.
The Director, Office of Innovation at UNICEF, Thomas Davin, said, “Jumia’s in-depth knowledge of markets across Africa will help Giga pinpoint both demands for connectivity and the economic benefits that it can brings.
“Partnerships with African companies like Jumia help UNICEF to tailor its approach to local circumstances, making our work on behalf of children and young people more effective.”
Jumia Group Chief Sustainability Officer, Juliet Anammah, said, “We believe that technology can transform lives in Africa for the better.
“Through Jumia’s unique local expertise, we are happy to support UNICEF and Giga’s work by leveraging data across all our countries in the continent to enable learning institutions in Africa to have access to the Internet.”
According to the statement, Jumia’s data science capacity will offer Giga insights into the economic benefits of increased connectivity, helping to make the case for increased public and private investment in Africa.
– Punch