Jumia to cut 10% of workforce as AI reshapes operations across Africa
Jumia plans to cut around 10% of its workforce as the African e-commerce company deepens its use of artificial intelligence to automate operations and reduce costs.
Black News 
![A Jumia scooter man arranges products for delivery to clients at the company's Ikeja warehouse in Lagos on June 12, 2013. [Photo credit, PIUS UTOMI EKPEI/AFP via Getty Images]](https://ocdn.eu/pulscms/MDA_/0467f86883529a12e3cf51cdd0148d65.jpg)
Jumia plans to cut around 10% of its workforce as the African e-commerce company deepens its use of artificial intelligence to automate operations and reduce costs.
- Jumia plans to reduce its workforce by 10% as it expands the use of artificial intelligence across its operations.
- CEO Francis Dufay said AI is now being used in logistics, finance, marketing and customer operations.
- The move comes as the company intensifies efforts to cut losses and improve profitability following its exit from several African markets.
- Jumia joins a growing list of global and African tech firms using automation to streamline operations and reduce costs.
Chief executive Francis Dufay told Bloomberg that AI tools are now being deployed across logistics, finance, marketing, customer operations and internal workflows, replacing tasks previously handled manually.
The move marks the latest effort by the company to improve profitability after years of losses and restructuring. Since Dufay took over in 2023, Jumia has exited several African markets, including South Africa and Tunisia, while also shutting down its food delivery business in Nigeria, Kenya, Morocco, Côte d’Ivoire, Tunisia, Uganda and Algeria.
The company had already reduced headcount by about 7% in 2025 as part of an earlier automation push in customer support.
Jumia’s restructuring reflects a broader shift across the global technology sector, where companies are increasingly turning to AI to streamline operations and cut expenses. Microsoft announced about 9,000 job cuts globally in 2024 as it expanded AI investments, while crypto exchange Coinbase reduced its workforce by 14% earlier this year, citing efficiency gains linked to AI adoption.
African startups have also begun accelerating automation efforts, as Nigerian crypto startup Zap Africa recently reduced nearly 44% of its workforce after introducing an AI customer service tool.
Jumia did not disclose the exact number of employees expected to be affected by the latest cuts. The company also did not provide financial estimates tied to the restructuring.
