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Olamide Bada, MD of Jumia Food, reporting for duty - Ask Me

Anything!
Olamide Bada, MD of Jumia Food, reporting for duty - Ask
AMA

Me Anything!
AMA

Mar 30
1 / 21
Mar 31 13h ago

vivalabada 21h 3
Hi Radar, Olamide Bada (not Baddo) here, ready for all of your exciting questions in today's AMA!

I'm a reader/people watcher first, a UK qualified M&A lawyer second, and a high-growth business manager third -
in that order as that's how my career has unintentionally evolved. Today I manage Jumia Food2 across Lagos,
Abuja and Port Harcourt, and for those of you don't know us, we're the food you love, delivered fast.

Ask me anything about the food delivery business, customer-centric growth, project managing Jumia's Black Friday
event, corporate law, traditional professions vs. start-ups and all things people management!

More about me here: http://techcabal.com/2017/03/29/5-things-you-should-know-about-olamide-bada/15... until

2pm.

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PINNED GLOBALLY 20 HOURS AGO

lordbanks
19h
1
Hey, Olamide. I'm first!

Great answers here9, and thanks for doing this.

I wonder if you noticed this recent thread about pay on delivery. It's quite wild, and I'm sure you have an opinion
about the matter, considering that Jumia is one of the major pioneers of the model, which a lot of people agreed at
the time was necessary to get past the trust barrier and acquire customers. Of recent, people have begun to ask if the
cons don't outweigh the pros. There was a story last week about a dispatch rider who got killed while delivering an
iPhone. Of course the likelihood that anyone is going to get offed over a plate of food is pretty much nonexistent,
but what are your current thoughts about how pay on delivery affects your operations, and what do you plan to do
in the longterm?

1 Reply
1 Like

Mobi 18h 1 Hey Olamide,

Great to have you here!

We've had a few questions come in and I'll share them as the AMA progresses. First up,

How are you able to effectively manage a team of individuals who I assume cut across age and gender?

1 Reply

Godson
18h
Hi Olamide,

What would you say has been your inspiration since you assumed the role of MD @ Jumia Food? What keeps you
going as a leader?

1 Reply

vivalabada 18h 2 lordbanks

2
Hey @lordbanks,

Thanks for inviting me!

I have been following the most recent conversation on pay on delivery and can definitely offer my perspective on
the topic.

I think that the aspects of other businesses that don't work well with the pay on delivery model are:

high value items, therefore increasing the risk of theft;

long lead times between order placement and delivery, leading to customers losing interest in the purchase
by the time it arrives; and

a lack of trust in delivery services in Nigeria, meaning that customers order more than once, with the
intention of only paying for whatever is delivered first.

In light of this, frustration on the business' side is completely understandable. Fortunately for me, the design of
Jumia Food means none of the above is applicable. A daily lunch order will typically be between N2-4000, and it's
an on demand service where you'll get your food within minutes of ordering. Moreover, we're continuously working
to build trust in our delivery - so if you order poundo and efo riro as well as jollof, plantain and chicken, you should
be ready to eat everything lol.

In my experience, instead of limiting what should be an easily accessible service, the focus should be on improving
customer experience - so much so that customers are even eager to pay when their food arrives. Investing in bank
partnerships to procure enough POS devices for our customers has also been a big focus, and the next battle for me
to conquer is online payment. Watch this space!

Thanks for also bringing to light the unfortunate tragedy which occurred recently - it's honestly unthinkable. My
thoughts and prayers are with the rider's family.

1 Reply
4 Likes

vivalabada Mobi
Hi @Mobi,

Thanks for your question!

This has certainly been a challenge, but fundamentally, we're all people. The way I might deliver a message to a
man might be different to the way I deliver a message to a woman - but the message can certainly be delivered.

Take responsibility for your piece in the puzzle, communicate effectively, delegate where necessary and iterate.
That's what has seen me through.

What I love most about my team is that we're all working towards the same goal, which is making our customers
happy. Because if food doesn't make someone happy, then what will tbvh?

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1 Reply
2 Likes

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