E-commerce is the future, and Africa will fully leverage it to secure hers.
Albert M. Muchanga, African Union Commissioner for Trade and Industry
Seven top takeaways from the wonderful report on the Africa E-commerce Agenda: Roadmap for Action:
- Powered by a proliferation of smartphones, ten of the fastest growing internet populations in the world are in Africa.
- Ambitious e-commerce growth is estimated at 20 – 50% per annum
- By 2025, e-commerce is expected to create up to 3 million jobs in Africa
- Promote investment in digital infrastructure to ensure universal access to affordable internet for all Africans by 2030
- Coach small businesses to empower Africa’s startups with digital skills and market access opportunities
- Capitalize on Africa’s mobile payments revolution to achieve financial inclusion for all
- Advocate for a higher allocation of Aid for Trade funding to digital trade activities from the current 1% to as much as 10% by 2025.
The future of trade is digital, and a large component of this is e-commerce, which has the potential to transform how businesses in Africa produce, sell and consume goods and services.
Arancha González, ITC Executive Director
Read the eight actions outlined in the E-commerce Roadmap in full>>
Read the press release from the WEF>>
About the report author
World Economic Forum
International Trade Centre
Launched at 28th WEF Africa conference, 4-6 September 2019
Cape Town, South Africa
The agenda was the result of consultations at two regional public-private dialogues. The first was held alongside the Africa eCommerce Week in Nairobi, Kenya in December 2018 and attended by 60 participants, including Grow Global’s Founder, Sarah Carroll. The second took place during the Transform Africa Summit in Kigali, Rwanda in May 2019, with 25 high-level stakeholders. The Agenda also benefited from written comments from organizations and entities active and expert in the region.
