Celebrating Workers Day, Celebrating Essential Workers

By Ayomide Oriade

LAGOS: This year’s Workers day is one like no other, especially since it’s happening in the midst of a pandemic. It is an opportunity to celebrate essential workers, who have kept the economy going in spite of the lockdown.

This includes health workers who are working tirelessly round the clock to ensure that the curve of this novel virus is flattened. Without them risking it all, we would probably be overwhelmed by this pandemic.

While appreciating the health workers, it is also necessary to mention an important sector that most people may not really see as important, these are delivery agents, also called dispatch riders. They have been braving the storm of the lockdown to provide essential needs to people around the nation. They have kept both individuals and businesses sane in these times.

They move around the town delivering people’s orders – food, medicines, water and other essential goods. Most of the e-commerce businesses are in operation during this lockdown because of them. Their importance in the economy cannot be overemphasized.

It is in this regard, that Jumia has taken a step further since the outbreak of the pandemic, to protect its essential workers by implementing increased hygiene and sanitary standards in its daily operations, implementing contactless delivery services to ensure the safe experience for its team, partners and consumers.

As part of gesture to appreciate the sacrifices of its staff at the forefront of essential service
delivery during COVID-19 lockdown, Jumia Group launched Jumia Heroes Fund to support and reward employees who are involved in everyday activities in the office, warehouse, delivery hubs, and those that may be affected by the virus.

Since the outbreak of the Covid19 pandemic, Jumia has made donations to the governments of Nigeria, Kenya, Ivory Coast, Morocco, and Uganda. The company also offered African governments the use of its last-mile delivery network for the distribution of supplies of healthcare facilities and workers.

Today, we call on everyone to celebrate these heroes weathering the storm to meet our various needs, while ensuring that we all stay safe and exercise precautions now that the lockdown has been lifted.

 *Ayomide Oriade is of PR Redline