Jumia Egypt and Intella Launch Groundbreaking Voice Shopping Experience in Egyptian Dialect via Ziila
In a major leap toward enhancing digital accessibility and user experience, Jumia Egypt, the leading e-commerce platform in Africa, has announced a strategic partnership with Intella, a pioneer in Arabic AI technologies, to introduce voice-based shopping in the Egyptian dialect through the intelligent assistant Ziila.
Unveiled at a high-profile event attended by top figures from Egypt’s technology sector, the new feature was demonstrated live for the first time. In a landmark moment, Abdellatif Olama, CEO of Jumia Egypt, placed the very first voice-activated order using Ziila—highlighting the platform’s readiness for real-world deployment.
This collaboration brings a first-of-its-kind Arabic voice AI solution to Egypt’s e-commerce landscape, allowing users to browse, search, and place orders using simple, natural voice commands in Egyptian Arabic. The integration eliminates the need for typing or manual navigation, making the shopping process faster, easier, and more accessible—especially for users less familiar with digital interfaces.
“At Jumia, we believe technology should be practical, inclusive, and localized,” said Olama. “Launching voice ordering in the Egyptian dialect through Ziila is a powerful step toward smarter, more user-friendly e-commerce solutions that meet the real needs of our customers.”
Ziila is designed to understand and respond to natural, spoken language as used in everyday Egyptian conversations. The AI assistant functions much like sending a voice note—intuitively interpreting user intent and facilitating product discovery and purchasing without the need for screens or keyboards.
“Our mission with Ziila was to build an AI that truly understands people—not just linguistically, but culturally,” said Omar Mansour, CTO of Intella Egypt. “Partnering with Jumia brings this vision to life, showing how Arabic-native AI can transform the way users interact with digital platforms.”
The partnership between Jumia and Intella marks a significant milestone in the evolution of voice-first commerce in the MENA region, showcasing how local AI innovation can redefine digital engagement. It also reflects Jumia’s broader commitment to integrating cutting-edge technologies that simplify lives and expand access to online services across Africa.
With this pioneering launch, Jumia is not only reshaping the future of online shopping in Egypt—but also setting the stage for wider adoption of voice AI in Arabic-speaking markets.