Zipline, Jumia join forces to pioneer drone delivery to homes across Africa

Jumia, the leading e-commerce platform in Africa, and Zipline, the world’s largest instant delivery service, has announced a collaboration to deploy automated, on-demand delivery for e-commerce in Africa.

This comes after the launch of the pilot program and testing a few months ago in Ghana.

The collaboration will integrate Zipline’s delivery system with Jumia’s existing distribution network to enable customers to receive instant delivery of the exact products they want, the exactly time they want them and from the comfort of their homes.

“Whether customers are ordering electronics, fashion, health, and beauty, or other categories, Zipline’s instant logistics system will provide fast and convenient access. This will support Jumia’s commitment to sustainability and innovation and provide much-needed access to rural and remote areas where conventional delivery services have challenges,” said the Chief Operating Officer of EVP Jumia.

An initial pilot was carried out across multiple use cases with varying product assortment logging up to 2,500km in testing.

Deliveries to outlying Jumia hubs as far as 85km from the take-off location at the Zipline operational hub in Omenako (Ghana) were completed in less than an hour with real time visibility of the drone for all stakeholders in the delivery cycle.

Eventual plans call for expansion to Cote d’Ivoire and Nigeria, and ultimately to other countries in the future.

“Zipline is pleased to partner with Jumia to use instant logistics to improve the lives of customers across Africa. This collaboration will increase access to goods for customers and help small and medium sized businesses grow. Zipline’s safe and efficient instant logistics system will make shopping on Jumia even more convenient, sustainable and accessible for its customers,” said Daniel Marfo, SVP – Zipline Africa.

Jumia’s logistics network includes 30+ warehouses and 3,000+ drop-off stations and pick-up stations, located across Jumia’s 11-country market.

In 2020, Jumia announced that its logistics service would now be available to third parties seeking to leverage the network, technology, and expertise for last-mile deliveries across its 11 countries in Africa.

Zipline’s instant logistics system, on the other hand, is made up of a world class autonomy platform, fleet of light, electric aircraft, and flight management systems that reduce green-house gas emissions by 98% compared to delivery by car.

This system is designed to enable all consumers, from the most urban to the most remote, to access the products they need in 45 minutes or less while reducing the carbon emissions of last-mile delivery up to 98% compared to traditional cars.

In addition to its partnership with Zipline, Jumia works with Solar Taxi in Ghana and eBee in Kenya to achieve a fully green footprint using clean and sustainable renewable energy.