The UNCTAD B2C E-Commerce Index shows that Africa ranks the lowest in all the indicators related to e-commerce readiness, namely Internet use penetration, secure servers per 1 million inhabitants, credit card penetration and a postal reliability score. Just over a fifth of the population in Africa uses the Internet.
Unless there is improvement in the underlying transaction and logistics processes, African online shopping is likely to remain confined to wealthier populations in urban areas.
Of all other regions, Africa is the one in most urgent need to address the digital divide to leverage e-commerce, but it's also one of the regions poised to reap the largest benefits. Indeed, the UNCTAD Information Economy Report 2015 noted that the fastest growth of e-commerce is now witnessed in Asia and Africa.
Possible avenues to increase the adoption of e-commerce and to maximize its benefits in Africa are facilitating mobile telephony as the most available and affordable infrastructure for e-commerce solutions, or leveraging the postal network to offer e-commerce service.
This session will examine the enabling framework for e-commerce in the African region and try to answer the following questions:
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What is the current situation for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) wishing to use e-commerce for exports of goods and services?
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What are their prospects for growth through e-commerce, as well as for increasing their participation in global value chains and accessing markets in Africa and further afield?
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What key measures could be taken by Governments in partnership with the private sector in order to scale up burgeoning e-commerce entrepreneurship and exports in Africa?
Moderator: Ms. Joy Kategekwa, Head of Regional Office for Africa, UNCTAD
Speakers:
- H.E. Mr Alioune Sarr, Minister of Trade, Industry and the Informal Sector, Senegal
- Universal Postal Union
- Mr. Dominique Chantrel, TrainForTrade Programme, UNCTAD
- Ms. Candace Nkoth-Bisseck, Country Director, Jumia Market, Cameroon
- Mr. Leonard Stiegeler, General Manager, Ringier Africa
