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Jumia, the leading online marketplace in Africa, has signed a partnership agreement with Xiaomi Corporation, a Chinese consumer electronics company, to allow shoppers across Africa purchase Xiaomi’s phones on the ecommerce site.

The agreement, signed at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain, will enable millions of Africans, starting with Nigeria, Egypt, Kenya, Ivory Coast, Morocco and Ghana, to easily access Xiaomi products. Through this partnership, Jumia will open Mi, the official store of Xiaomi’s phones, on its platform, giving Xiaomi access to millions of online customers across 14 African countries.

According to a statement released by Xiaomi on Thursday, Jumia will exclusively offer Redmi Go – Xiaomi’s latest low-end smartphone – in Africa as well as other devices later in the year. The partnership will be supported by a joint-marketing plan, which will leverage Jumia’s digital assets and Xiaomi’s marketing capabilities, including the Mi fan community.

“This partnership is very important for us, as it will definitely foster the smartphone adoption in Africa as well as support e-commerce penetration,” said Romain Christodoulou, Chief Commercial Officer at Jumia Group. “Xiaomi and Jumia have very similar internet DNA and will serve a common purpose: delivering the best in class affordable smartphones along with the best shopping experience.”

The MWC Barcelona is organised by the Groupe Spéciale Mobile Association (GSMA) – a global body of mobile operators. In its Mobile Economy report, GSMA reported that smartphone penetration in Sub-Saharan Africa stood at 44 per cent, or an equivalent of 444 million, in 2017. The organisation projects that this will increase to 634 million, or about 52 per cent by 2025.

“The e-commerce model is part of Xiaomi’s DNA and we believe that working with Jumia will help us bring innovation for everyone across the continent,” said Wang Xiang, Senior Vice President and Head of International Business at Xiaomi.