Food division of African online e-commerce service Jumia has announced plans to recruit more women delivery bike drivers or riders in response to a need for gender diversity in the continent.

According to a report by TechTrendsKenya, the company's recently appointed Managing Director, Shreenal Ruparelia says the new initiative is aimed at creating equal opportunities in the growing eCommerce industry.

Shreenal notes that the gender gap in the workforce is quite prevalent throughout all levels, citing societal beliefs as a major cause.

The company's first female rider, quoted by TechTrendsKenya, Mitchelle Khaemba reiterated the MD's comments saying the move is "economically uplifting for women and a gateway for women to create a foundation for talent exploration to greater heights."

Mitchelle, who works alongside her husband, says the decision to join the Jumia Food fleet was well supported by her husband, even though her neighbours and extended family still act surprised by her otherwise 'manly' occupation.

Currently, Jumia Food employs over sixty riders, with an expansion plan keen on recruiting more female riders. The MD further explains that the main goal is to reach more customers, and to reduce the delivery time from sixty minutes to less than forty minutes.

A 2015 report from the McKinsey Global Institute found that US$12 trillion could be added to global GDP by 2025 by advancing women's equality. It notes that the public, private, and social sectors will need to act to close gender gaps in work and society.

"Gender inequality is not only a pressing moral and social issue but also a critical economic challenge. If women, who account for half the world's working-age population, do not achieve their full economic potential, the global economy will suffer," reads the report.

Research also finds that women still remain under represented in the formal sector and in leadership roles.

According to the African Development Bank, in a report titled 'Where are the women?', women comprise a little over half of Africa's growing population and their contribution to the region's economy is extensive, but they also form the majority of the poor.

"This is largely because they make up 70% of the informal sector, where work is unstable, poorly paid and invisible," notes the report.

McKinsey's 2016 'Women Matter, Africa Making gender diversity a reality' report discusses how companies with a greater share of women on their boards of directors and executive committees tend to perform better financially.

"African companies are no different; this report found that the earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) margin of those with at least a quarter share of women on their boards was on average 20 percent higher than the industry average.

"In the private sector, Africa has more women in the executive committee, CEO, and board roles in companies than the average worldwide. Numbers vary by industry and region – not surprisingly – and are much lower in industries that traditionally rely on men for their workforce (heavy industry, for example).

"Yet women are still under-represented at every level of the corporate ladder – non-management and middle and senior management – and fall in number the higher they climb. Only 5 percent of women make it to the very top," according to McKinsey.