KAMPALA – Copia Global, the first and only Business-to-Customer (B2C) platform simplifying e-commerce for 750 million middle to low-income African consumers, has on Thursday celebrated its first anniversary of operations in Uganda by hosting a breakfast reception at Protea Hotel Kampala.
As part of its anniversary celebrations, Copia Uganda exclusively announced future plans that include a state-of-the-art Fulfilment Center in Namanve, which will serve its fast-growing customer base in the country. The Fulfilment Center will be the first of its kind in Uganda.
The anniversary was graced by Joyce Juliet Nabbosa Ssebugwawo, the Minister of State for ICT & National Guidance in the company of other invited guests including; Kyaddondo East MP Nkunyingi Muwada and Mr. Collin Babirukamu, Director of E-Government Services, National Information Technology Authority – NITA Uganda.
At the event were also representatives from the American Embassy, USAID, the Uganda Communications Commission, and the Ministry of Trade and Cooperatives were also present.
The anniversary event was also attended by a diverse group of guests to celebrate Copia’s remarkable growth in Uganda, including dignitaries, business leaders, government officials, influencers, Copia Uganda’s corporate executives, banking and telecom partners, and agents and customers.
Tim Steel, CEO, Copia Global said “We are thrilled about the success of Copia’s expansion into Uganda, which is our first market expansion since launching in Kenya in 2013. This is a testimony of Copia’s proven business model and its Pan-African scalability” –
“With the impressive milestones achieved in Uganda in the last year, we are now ready to further expand into other African markets, providing essential and quality products to Africa’s 750 million middle to low-income consumers.”
Giving her keynote speech, minister Ssebugwawo commended Copia for such an innovation that will eventually solve the unemployment challenges Uganda is facing.
She also lauded the company for accepting to take back goods that their customers have not liked.
“…here in Uganda they always put on the receipt that goods once sold are not returnable. This is a very wonderful step forward, Copia is doing.”
To make it easier for Copia, the minister assured that her ministry is working tirelessly to stabilize internet across the country.
“In the near future, everybody will be able to access the internet.”
As a key stakeholder of the country, the minister said it’s their obligation to find avenues that empower people economically to enhance the national building.
“Today’s era is not about hardworking a lone but also cognizant of working smart through use of technology. We must therefore embrace technology in all spheres of life.”
Ms. Diana Adeyemi, Country Director, Copia Uganda said that since launching in Uganda in May 2021, Copia Uganda has served over 35,000 customers through over 8,000 agents in 84 major towns and trading centers.
She said that the company has fulfilled over 250,000 orders in its one-year period of operations.
The team has also grown from 20 to over 200 employees, enabling the company to contribute to the local economy in Uganda. The company offers a wide range of quality essential products to its customers across 13 major categories – Foodstuff, Construction, Household, Personal Care, Beauty, Electronics, Energy, School, Baby, Health, Farming, and Transport giving the consumer a myriad of options.
“We are grateful for the strong relationships we have developed with our suppliers, partners, and agents and our employees’ dedication and hard work over the last year. We owe our success to them and look forward to leveraging these relationships in the coming year to provide even more value to customers”
“Our mission is to make Ugandans’ lives easier by providing them with essential quality products at the best market prices through Copia’s e-commerce platform and digital Agent network. This improves their quality of life, putting Ugandan consumers on the map of global digitization,” she added.
Launched in Kenya in 2013, Copia Global has built a network of over 38,000 Agents, small shopkeepers who serve as order and delivery points, across Kenya and Uganda. This allows customers to choose how they interact with Copia – online or offline. Operating its own technology-enabled world-class logistics service, Copia can deliver to the most remote locations, even in places with poor road infrastructure or lack of addresses, at no additional cost to the customer within 2-4 days.
About Copia Global
Founded in 2013 by Silicon Valley veterans Tracey Turner and Jonathan Lewis, Copia is the first and only B2C platform simplifying e-commerce for 750 million middle to low-Income Africans. Using a mobile application, a network of over 38,000 agents, and seamless logistics systems, Copia currently provides access to essential products at affordable prices to over 1.9 million customers in Kenya and Uganda. The company launched Copia Digital and Financial Services in 2021 to enhance its e-commerce offering by building payments, credit, and loan products.
