Forget the midnight scrambles and shopping-cart battles in American malls—this year’s most riveting Black Friday story is unfolding thousands of miles away, on the industrial edge of Lagos, Nigeria.
Step inside Jumia’s colossal 30,000-square-meter warehouse in Isolo, and you’re swept into a world more alive than any glossy corporate operation. Every inch pulses with the energy of Africa’s Black Friday—an event Jumia introduced to the continent over a decade ago and has been redefining ever since.
Past the blare of airport runways and the chaos of delivery trucks, there’s a choreography in full swing: workers in neon vests hustle between mountains of washing machines, sacks of rice, and towers of electronics. It’s a human-powered machine, running 24/7 at full tilt, with canteen meals to refuel, apples on Wednesdays, and a DJ spinning beats on Fridays to keep spirits high.
“This is the busiest time of year,” says Richmond Carlos Otu, Jumia’s chief supply chain officer. “We run different shifts so nobody burns out—and the reward is seeing new customers discover Jumia for the very first time.”
Down the road at a pickup station in lively Yaba, Lagos, the Black Friday buzz is just as electric. Vendors ferry everything from wigs to air conditioners, staffers dash to match packages with eager customers, and Ayomide Olajide, a regular shopper, is delighted with her twelve discounted finds. “It’s about the deals,” she grins.
But the real story here is one of survival and transformation. Once hailed as the “Amazon of Africa,” Jumia nearly flamed out—its stock plummeting from over $60 to under $2, battered by infrastructure woes and the arrival of Chinese titans like Temu and Shein. Skeptics counted Jumia out.
Then came a radical reset. The old, distant management was ousted, and leaders relocated from Dubai and Paris to the beating heart of their market. The new Jumia rewired itself around what African consumers truly needed, not just what worked elsewhere.
Now, Jumia’s resurgence is catching eyes. Local research shows the company fending off rivals and inching toward the holy grail—sustainable growth and projected profitability by 2027. No longer chasing Silicon Valley pipe dreams, Jumia is carving its path, much like MercadoLibre did in Latin America.
“We could be the small MercadoLibre of Africa,” says CEO Francis Dufay. With a current market value of $1.3 billion and Black Friday sales surging, the comeback story is real.
As November’s frenzy peaks, Jumia’s team jokes that “nobody sleeps” until the last package ships. But this time, something is different—the adrenaline isn’t just about discounts. It’s about a company, once left for dead, proving it can thrive on its own terms and perhaps, finally, win the race for Africa’s e-commerce crown.
When the dust settles and the sales numbers are in, one thing is certain: Black Friday in Lagos isn’t just a shopping event—it’s the heartbeat of a company, a city, and a continent in the throes of digital transformation.
