Nigeria’s online retailers: E-bola

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Xi who must be obeyed

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Nigeria’s online retailers

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Fear of the virus boosts e-commerce in Africa’s most-populous nation

WHAT if Ebola spread beyond the smaller west African states, where the outbreak is concentrated, and took hold in Nigeria, Africa’s most-populous country? International epidemiologists tremble at the thought. Ordinary Nigerians worry, too—so much so that the country has seen a boom in online shopping, as some people avoid going out into crowded markets and shopping malls.
Access to the internet and e-services is growing fast in Nigeria, a country of 173m people, more than 10m in Lagos alone. Online retailers must contend with poor roads, especially in rural areas, and suspicion of online payments (they accept cash on delivery). Ebola is giving an unexpected push to nascent e-commerce, after the country suffered its first case in July, when Patrick Sawyer, a Liberian civil servant, died in Lagos. At least six others have perished since.

Jumia, the biggest e-commerce site, says orders have …

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