By Godfrey Bivbere

In an effort to empower Nigerian youths to benefit from the N2.74 billion ($6.1m) e-commerce market in the country, Jobberman Nigeria in partnership with USAID funded Alliance for eTrade Development II (eTrade Alliance), has begun an empowerment campaign.

The campaign which is in its second phase is aimed at helping to drive Nigeria’s thriving e-commerce industry by conducting behavioural profiling on 24,000 young people aged 18-35 and 1,000 employees in the formal and informal e-commerce sector.

Speaking on the campaign, Jobberman CEO, Rolake Rosiji, said that e-commerce spending is projected to hit US$9.5m in revenues by 2025.

“The world is fast becoming increasingly digitised and is bound to continue on this trajectory in the years to come.

“As a result, it is pertinent that job seekers, especially young people and players in the e-commerce sector, position themselves for relevance in the forthcoming digital revolution.

“E-commerce spending in Nigeria is set to reach US$6.1m by the end of 2021 and as more consumers navigate to online shopping due to the pandemic, spending is projected to hit US$9.5m in revenues by 2025.

The fast-growing youth population, which makes up half of the country’s total population is expected to power the digital marketplace with close to two million joining the labour force per year. Jobberman wants to help find the next leaders of companies such as Paystack, Slot, Flutterwave, Konga, Jumia, Wakanow, Travelstart, and many more. This assessment will also help gain insights into the key traits and skills critical for workers in the digital commerce space and information that can inform future workforce development and job matching programs, creating long-term economic impacts for job seekers, SMEs, and their communities. Jobberman is geared up for the next phase of the campaign to profile 24,000 people aged 18-35 in the e-commerce industry directly or indirectly. This includes business owners who sell via e-commerce platforms, social media, and messaging channels such as Whatsapp.

Over 1000 employees leading e-commerce and digital businesses participating in the behavioural profiling have been involved. Brands that participated include the likes of; Jumia Nigeria, Flutterwave, Paga, Paystack, Endeavour Nigeria, Branch HerVest, amongst others.

This has enabled them to harness their strengths for maximum productivity in the current digital landscape.