2021年中非电子商务报告（英）-60正式版

Enablinge-commerceinCentralAfrica:

Theroleofmobileservicesandpolicyimplications

June2021

Copyright©2021GSMAssociation

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EstablishedbytheEconomicandSocialCounciloftheUnitedNationsin1958asoneoftheUN'sfiveregionalcommissions,theEconomicCommissionforAfrica(ECA)'smandateistopromotetheeconomicandsocialdevelopmentofitsmemberStates,fosterintra-regionalintegration,andpromoteinternationalcooperationforAfrica'sdevelopment.

Madeupof54memberStatesandplayingadualroleasaregionalarmoftheUNandasakeycomponentoftheAfricaninstitutionallandscape,ECA’smissionistodeliverideasandactionsforanempoweredandtransformedAfrica,toaddresstheContinent’sdevelopmentchallenges.ThecontributionbyECAtothetaskofcarryingforwardthe2030AgendaandAgenda2063iscenteredontheCommission’sthreecorefunctions:convening,thinktankandoperational.Throughitsthink-tankfunction,ECAconductsmultisectoralresearchandanalysisthatnurture

theintegrationofthethreepillarsofsustainabledevelopment,andpromotepeerlearning,innovativethinkingandtheadvocacyofpublicpolicieswhilefosteringintersectorallinkagesandsynergies.

ECAisheadquarteredinAddisAbaba-Ethiopia,andoperatesinCentralAfricathroughitsSub-RegionalOfficebasedinYaoundé,coveringCameroon,CentralAfricanRepublic,Chad,Congo(Republicof),Gabon,EquatorialGuineaandSaoTome&Principewithamandatetosupportthecountriesinattaininginclusiveeconomicgrowthandsustainabledevelopmentthroughsectoraldiversificationandindustrialization.

/central-africa

Authors

KenechiOkeleke,

Director,SocialandRegionalResearch,GSMAIntelligence

GaiaPenteriani,

Director,GovernmentandRegulatoryAffairs,GSMA

JeanLucNamegabeMastaki,Senioreconomist,ECACentralAfrica

Contents

Executivesummary

1.Theriseofe-commerce

1.1Globalandregionale-commercetrends

1.2Typesofe-commerceservices

1.3Mobiletechnologyasakeydriverofe-commerce

1.4E-commerceandtrade

1.5Socioeconomicbenefitsofe-commerce

E-commercetrendsandservicesinECCAS

2.1Incontext:e-commercetrendsinSub-SaharanAfrica

2.2Theemerginge-commercelandscapeinECCAS

Evaluatingthepotentialofe-commerceinECCAS3.1E-commercereadinessinECCAS

3.2Keyfactorsaffectinge-commerceservicesinECCAS3.3SWOTanalysisofthee-commercepotentialinECCAS

Policyprioritiesandbestpracticestoscalee-commerceinECCAS

4.1Enhancingdigitalandfinancialinclusion

4.2Takingtherightapproachtodataregulations

4.3Addressingchallengesinthebusinessenvironment

4.4Leveragingstakeholdercollaboration

4.5Lookingahead–opportunitiesaboundfore-commerceservicesinECCAS

Appendix

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ENABLINGE-COMMERCEINCENTRALAFRICA:THEROLEOFMOBILESERVICESANDPOLICYIMPLICATIONS

ExecutiveSummary

ThedigitaleconomyinECCAS1isexpandingrapidly,drivenbystrongadoptionofmobileservices.Overallmobilesubscriberpenetrationinthesub-regiongrewfromjust18%atthestartofthelastdecadeto42%bytheendof2019,whilethenumberofmobileinternetusershadreached46millionbythesamedate.Thistrendisfacilitatingthecreationandconsumptionofnewdigitalservices,whicharetransformingthewaypeoplecommunicate,liveandwork.

E-commerceisakeycomponentofthedigitaleconomy,allowingbuyersandsellerstointeractandtransactonlineregardlessoftimeandlocation.Thishasthepotentialtogeneratesignificantsocialandeconomicbenefits,particularlyinemergingcountries.Itcancreatejobsandstimulateeconomicactivitybyencouraginginvestmentandopeningupnewmarketstootherwiseisolatedruralcommunities.Womenandyoungentrepreneursinparticularareincreasinglyusinge-commerceplatformstogrowtheirbusinesses,reducinginequalitiesandhelpinglocalvaluecreation.

InECCAS,retailservicesarestillpredominantlytraditionalandinformal.TheUnitedNationsConferenceonTradeandDevelopment(UNCTAD)estimatesthataround90%oftransactionsacrossSub-SaharanAfricaoccurthroughinformalchannels.Thisispartlybecauseofentrenchedconsumer

attitudesandshoppingbehaviours.However,thereisgrowingmomentumtowardsmodernandmoreformalchannels,withe-commerceplayinganincreasinglyimportantroleintheevolvingretaillandscape.Acrossthesub-region,establishedretailersandentrepreneursareincreasinglyusingonlinechannelstoreachnewcustomersandovercomebarrierstoshopping,suchasashortageofretailspace.

1 Angola,Burundi,Cameroon,CentralAfricanRepublic,Chad,Congo,DemocraticRepublicofCongo,EquatorialGuinea,Gabon,Rwanda,SaoTome&Principe

ExecutiveSummary

ENABLINGE-COMMERCEINCENTRALAFRICA:THEROLEOFMOBILESERVICESANDPOLICYIMPLICATIONS

Mobiletechnologyisakeydriverofe-commerceservicesinECCAS.Aswellasbeingtheprimaryplatformusedtoaccesstheinternet(giventhelackoffixedbroadbandinfrastructure),mobiletechnologyisalsofacilitatingonlinepaymentsthroughmobilemoney,helpingtoaddressthechallengeoflowpenetrationofbankcardsandtherisksassociatedwithcash-on-delivery.Bytheendof2020,therewere16livemobilemoneyservicesinECCAS,servingnearly50millionregisteredaccounts.

Severale-commerceprovidershaveemergedacrossthesub-regioninrecentyears,servingboththedomesticandglobalmarkets.Inaddition,asisthecaseinotheremergingregions,socialcommerceisgainingmomentuminECCAS,boostinguptakeofsocialmediaservicesandloweringbarrierstoentryforsmallbusinesses.FacebookisbyfarthemostpopularsocialmediaserviceinECCASwithatotaluserbaseof14millionasofJanuary2021.Ithasbecomethepreferredplatformformanye-commerceentrepreneursacrosstheregion.

Thestateofe-commerceservicesinECCASis,however,beingaffectedbyseveralfactorsthatpotentiallylimittheabilityoftheservicestoscale.Theseincludethelackofaccesstoandaffordabilityofmobileinternetservicesforlargeswathesofthepopulation(especiallylow-incomesegments);limiteduseofdigitalpaymentservices;inadequateaddressingsystemsinsomeurbanareasandmostruralareas;bottlenecksincustomsclearanceandoverallinternationaltrade;andachallengingbusinessandmacroeconomicenvironmentfore-commercestart-ups.

Governmentsinthesub-regionhaveasignificantroletoplayinimplementingpoliciestoaddressthesechallengesandstimulateinvestmentine-commerceservices.Fundamentally,governmentsneedtotakeaholisticapproachtodevelopingand

implementingpoliciesthatunderpine-commerceservices,recognisingthate-commerceisimpactedbypoliciesandactivitiesinmultipleandoftendisparatesectors,andthate-commercegrowthcanstimulateproductivityanddriveefficiencyacrosstheeconomy.

Mobileoperatorsoccupyauniquepositioninthee-commercelandscape.Theycanprovidetheconnectivitythatenablesonlineactivities,includinge-commerce;theycanenabledigitalpaymentsthroughmobilemoney;andtheycansupporte-commercestart-upsusingnetworkanddistributionassets,suchasAPIsandsalesagents,toaddresssomeoftheoperationalandcommercialchallengesofe-commerce.

ExecutiveSummary05

ENABLINGE-COMMERCEINCENTRALAFRICA:THEROLEOFMOBILESERVICESANDPOLICYIMPLICATIONS

Thisreportidentifieskeyareaswhereactionisrequiredtoincreaseaccesstodigitalservicesingeneralande-commerceservicesinparticular:

Enhancedigitalandfinancialinclusion–Asoftheendof2019,nearly40%ofthepopulationintheECCASsub-regiondidnothaveaccesstoamobilebroadbandnetwork,whilelessthanhalfofadultsmakeorreceivedigitalpaymentsonaregularbasis.Toincreasedigitalandfinancialinclusioninthesub-region,governmentsneedtoimplementpoliciesthatstrengthenmobileinfrastructureandtheaffordabilityofmobileservices.Thisincludesreducingoroptimisingsector-specifictaxes,whichcanconstraininvestmentandimpacttheaffordabilityofdevicesandservices;makingspectrumavailableintherightquantitiesandundertherightconditions;promotingmarket-ledcompetitionandalevelplayingfieldacrossthepaymentsecosystem;andimprovinglocalandglobalpaymentsystemsinteroperability.

Taketherightapproachtodataregulation

–Consumerdataprivacyandcross-borderdatatransfersarevitalelementsofanydigitalservice,includinge-commerce.Whileapositiveexperiencewithanonlinesellercangarnertrustamongsomeconsumers,specificregulationsthatprotectparticipantsinanonlinetransactionarenecessarytoboostoverallconfidenceine-commerceandotherdigitalservices.Itisthereforeimportantthatgovernmentsadoptdataprivacylawsthatprovideeffectiveprotectionforindividuals,whileallowingorganisationsthefreedomtooperate,innovateandcomplyinawaythatmakessensefortheirbusinessesandcansecurepositiveoutcomesforsociety.

Addresskeychallengesinthebusinessenvironment–Thedevelopmentofe-commerceservicesreliesonseveralmacroeconomicfactorswhichcanhaveadirectimpactontheabilityofe-commercebusinessestoscaleandfulfiltransactions.Theseincludedomesticlogisticschallenges,internationaltradebarriers,fiscalpoliciesandredtapeone-commercestart-ups.Improvingtheoverallbusinessenvironmentisessentialtodrivegrowthandrealisethesocioeconomicbenefitsofe-commerce.

Leveragestakeholdercollaboration–E-commercestakeholdersinECCASincludegovernmentsandpolicymakers,mobileoperators,thedevelopmentcommunity,private-sectorplayersandcivilsociety.Thesestakeholdersneedtocollaborateoneffortstoaddressthekeychallengestoe-commerceadoptioninthesub-region.Effortsincludetacklingdigitalexclusion,increasingconsumerawarenessofandtrustindigitalservices,strengtheningtransactionsecurity,enablingthesupportingphysicalinfrastructureandinstitutions,andbridgingtheskillsandfundingshortagesfore-commercebusinesses.

1 Angola,Burundi,Cameroon,CentralAfricanRepublic,Chad,Congo,DemocraticRepublicofCongo,EquatorialGuinea,Gabon,Rwanda,SaoTome&Principe

ExecutiveSummary

ENABLINGE-COMMERCEINCENTRALAFRICA:THEROLEOFMOBILESERVICESANDPOLICYIMPLICATIONS

ECCASataglance:adiverseregion

Region

Population

Urbanisation

LiteracyRate*

GDPper

Internet

Capita**

Penetration

Angola

32.9m

66%

66%

$3,423

31%

Burundi

11.9m

13%

68%

$272

13%

Cameroon

11.9m

56%

77%

$1,533

34%

CAR

4.8m

41%

37%

$476

11%

Chad

16.4m

23%

22%

$728

17%

Congo

5.5m

67%

80%

$2,148

32%

DRC

89.6m

44%

77%

$562

23%

E.Guinea

1.4m

72%

95%

$10,261

7%

Gabon

2.2m

89%

85%

$7,592

38%

Rwanda

12.9m

17%

73%

$773

25%

SaoTome

0.2m

73%

93%

$2,001

34%

&Principe

*15+years**CurrentUS$

Datafor2019,exceptinternetpenetrationdata–asofDecember2020.

Sources:UnitedNationsDepartmentofEconomicandSocialAffairs(UNDESA),WorldBank,GSMAIntelligence

ExecutiveSummary07

ENABLINGE-COMMERCEINCENTRALAFRICA:THEROLEOFMOBILESERVICESANDPOLICYIMPLICATIONS

1.Theriseofe-commerce

E-commerce2hasgrownsignificantlyoverthelasttwodecades,enabledbywidespreadinternetaccess,thegrowinguptakeofdigitalpaymentsandchangingconsumerlifestyles.Therapidadoptionofsmartphonesandmobileinternetservicesgivesaddedimpetustothistrend,withm-commerce3accountingforanincreasingshareofoveralle-commercetransactions:mobilenowaccountsforaroundtwothirdsoftotalretaile-commercesales.4Whilee-commercepenetrationishighestindevelopedregions,keyfactorssuchasfavourabledemographicsandincreasingaccesstoconnectivityandmobilepaymentsplatformsunderscorethegrowthpotentialindevelopingregions.

ENABLINGE-COMMERCEINCENTRALAFRICA:THEROLEOFMOBILESERVICESANDPOLICYIMPLICATIONS

1.1Globalandregionale-commercetrends

Globally,e-commercecontinuestoseestronggrowth,withtotalannualsalesestimatedataround$4.28trillionin2020.5E-commercesalesasashareoftotalretailsalesarerisingrapidly.Forecastssuggeste-commerceissettoaccountfor23%ofglobalretailsalesby2024,upfrom18%in2020(seeFigure1).By2024,totale-commercesalesareexpectedtototal$6.5trillion—morethandoublethe2018total.

Figure1

Globale-commerceshareofretailsales,2016–2024

E-commerceshareofglobalretailsaleswillgrow2.5xbetween2016and2024

Source:Statista

23%

18%

9%

2016 2020 2024*

*Forecast

Chinadominatesthegloballandscapetodayinbothabsoluteandrelativeterms,withtotale-commercesalesattheendof2020estimatedataround$1.8trillion.ThisismorethandoublethelevelrecordedintheUS.ThedominanceofChinaissuchthatitse-commercemarketislargerthanthatoftheUS,UK,France,GermanyandJapancombined.Theshareofe-commercesalesislargestinChina,ataquarteroftotalretailsales,followedbyotherdevelopedmarketssuchastheUK,USandSouthKorea.However,inemergingmarketse-commercesalescurrentlyaccountforlessthan5%oftotalretailsales.

Thebuyingandsellingofgoodsandservicesonline

Onlineshoppingusingamobiledevice,typicallyasmartphone

Statista

eMarketer

Theriseofe-commerce09

ENABLINGE-COMMERCEINCENTRALAFRICA:THEROLEOFMOBILESERVICESANDPOLICYIMPLICATIONS

China:thee-commercegiant

ThepastdecadehasseenrapidgrowthindemandforonlineshoppinginChina,makingittheworld’slargeste-commercemarket.KeydriversintheChinesee-commercemarketincludethefollowing:

Risinginternetpenetration–ThetotalnumberofinternetusersinChinareached900millionattheendof2019.Thisrepresented67%ofthecountry’spopulation.Mobilebroadbandnetworksprovidethebasisforrisinginternetadoptionacrossthecountry,with4Gnetworkscovering99%ofthepopulation.

Smartphoneadoption–China’sstatusasaleaderine-commerceservicesisrootedintherapidadoptionofsmartphones.Today,thereareapproximately1.2billionsmartphoneconnectionsinthecountry,accountingforthreequartersofthetotalnumberofmobileconnections.

Easeofpayingonline–Thewidespreadadoptionofdigitalpaymentshashelpedtheexpansionofthebroaderdigitalecosystem,withtheemergenceofanumberofhyper-scalee-commerceplayersthatdominatetheirhomemarketsandareincreasinglylookingtoexpandinternationally.WeChatPayandAlipayhavearound1.0billionand1.2billionglobalactiveusers,respectively,comparedtoaround0.5billionforApplePay.

E-commercepopularity–WhilemobileinternetpenetrationanddigitalpaymentsarerisinginChina,onlineshoppinghasbeengainingincreasedpopularity.ThenumberofonlineshoppersinChinaincreasedexponentiallyfrombelow34millionin2006tomorethan610millionusersin2018,an18-foldincreaseoverthe12-yearperiod.7

Reductionindeliverytime–InvestmentsinlogisticsandwarehousingcapabilitiesaredirectlyresultinginimproveddeliverytimesforonlineordersinChina.Alibaba,China'slargeste-commercefirm,isalreadymakingdronedeliveriesinShanghai,whileJD.com,China'ssecond-largeste-commercefirm,startedroboticdeliveryofpackagesinBeijing.Byusingdrones,deliveryservicescanavoidChina'scrowdedroads,cuttingtotaldeliverytimesto20minutesforcustomersinparticipatingareas.

Ruralcustomers–Widespreadmobileinternetandsmartphoneadoptionmeansruraldwellerscanparticipateinthee-commercemarket.Itoffersthemtheopportunitytobuyproductsthatmaynotbereadilyavailablewithintheirlocality.

Economicgrowth–China’seconomyhasgrownrapidlyoverthelasttwodecades.GDPpercapitaincreasedmorethan10-foldfrom$959in2000to$9,770by2018.Theresultingincreaseinconsumerspendingpowerhasbeenakeyfactorinthee-commercegrowthseenacrossthecountry.

E-commercelaw–Afterseveralyearsofpreparation,China’sfirste-commercelawofficiallytookeffectinJanuary2019.Thelawaimstoprotectthelegalrightsandinterestsofallpartiesinvolvedine-commercetransactions,whilemaintainingmarketorder.Thelawaddressesconsumerprotectionssuchasdataprivacyandcybersecurity,andspecifiesregulationsconcerningoperators,contracts,disputesettlementandtheliabilitiesinvolvedine-commerce.8

Statista

Statista

HowChina’se-commercelawwillaffectretailers,sellers,andconsumers,TheFutureofCustomerEngagementandExperience,2019

10Theriseofe-commerce

ENABLINGE-COMMERCEINCENTRALAFRICA:THEROLEOFMOBILESERVICESANDPOLICYIMPLICATIONS

Thevalueofe-commerceservicesinanygivencountryislargelyafunctionoftheabsolutesizeoftheeconomy.Consequently,thesixlargeste-commerceplayersgloballygeneratethemostsalesfromthelargesteconomiesintheworld.

Table1

Leadingglobale-commerceplayers

Source:companydata

Company

Mainmarkets

Sales,2019

Amazon

US,UK,GermanyandJapan

$281billion

JD.Com

China

$67billion

Alibaba

China

$39billion

Walmart

US

$28billion

Rakuten

Japan

$11.8billion

eBay

US,global

$10.8billion

However,thereisashiftingrowthmomentumtowardsemergingmarkets(someoftheminSub-SaharanAfrica).Indiaisforecasttoseethestrongestgrowthintheperiodto2023,withIndonesiaandSouthAfricaalsointhetopsix.9ThesecountriesaretypicallyexperiencingstrongpopulationandGDPgrowth,enabling

theemergenceofayouthfulandtech-savvyconsumerclasswithincreasingdisposableincome.Further,governmentsareincreasinglysupportingthedevelopmentofdigitalservicesingeneralande-commerceinparticular,focusingonarangeofenablingfactors,includingaccesstodigitalpaymentsandthefacilitationofcross-bordertrade.

Leadinge-commerceplayersplantoextendactivitiestofast-growingemergingeconomiesaroundtheworld.InJanuary2020,Amazonannounceda$1billioninvestmentinIndia,whileAlibabahasexpressedinterestinexpandingacrossAfrica.

9 Statista

Theriseofe-commerce11

ENABLINGE-COMMERCEINCENTRALAFRICA:THEROLEOFMOBILESERVICESANDPOLICYIMPLICATIONS

1.2Typesofe-commerceservices

Therearefourbroadtypesofe-commerceashighlightedinTable2.

Table2

Typesofe-commerce

Source:GSMAIntelligence

Type

Description

Examples

Business-to-business

Transactionsofgoodsandservices

AmazonBusiness,Alibaba

(B2B)

betweencompanies

Business-to-consumer

Onlinetransactionsbetween

Amazon,Groupon,Taobao

(B2C)

businessesandcustomers

Consumer-to-consumer

Transactionsbetweenconsumersoften

eBay,FacebookMarketplace

(C2C)

conductedthroughtheuseofsocial

medianetworksandthird-partysites

Consumer-to-business

Consumeruseofonlineplatforms

Gazelle,eBay

(C2B)

tosellproductsandservicesto

businesses

Theglobalretaile-commercelandscapeisdominatedbyglobalplayersintheB2CandC2Ccategories,suchasAmazon,eBayandAlibaba,whichoperatecountry-specificwebsitesinseveralcountries,aswellasinternationalshippingservicestoreachbuyersinothercountriesaroundtheglobe.Inmanydevelopingcountries,however,regional-andnational-levele-commercebusinessesplayleadingrolesinthedomestice-commercemarket,leveraginglocalknowledgeandthelimitedpresenceofglobalplayers.AnexampleisJumia,Africa’slargeste-commercecompanywithoperationsin11countries.

12Theriseofe-commerce

ENABLINGE-COMMERCEINCENTRALAFRICA:THEROLEOFMOBILESERVICESANDPOLICYIMPLICATIONS

1.3Mobiletechnologyasakeydriverofe-commerce

Mobiletechnologyhasemergedasakeydriverofe-commerceactivities,helpedbyrisingmobileinternetandsmartphoneadoption,aswellastheeaseandconveniencethatmobiledevicesbringtotheprocessofonlineshopping.Fromaroundtwothirdsofe-commerceretailsalestoday,mobileisforecasttoaccountformorethan73%by2022.10Mobileappsallowuserstobrowseandpurchaseitemson-the-goandattheirconvenience,comparedtocomputerswhichmostpeoplecanonlyusefore-commerceactivitiesintheirhomeoratwork.

Figure2

Percentageofsmartphoneusersengagingwithselectedusecaseseachweek

Source:GSMAIntelligence

Uganda

Senegal

SouthAfrica

Nigeria

Kenya

India

China

US

UK

Germany

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

Orderand/orpurchasegoodsonamobilephone

Getinformationonproductsandservices

The2019GSMAIntelligenceConsumersinFocusSurvey11providesinsightsintotheproportionofindividualsthatusetheirsmartphonesonaregularbasistoorderorbrowseinformationonproductsandservices.Acrossdevelopedandemergingmarkets,thereisagapbetweenbrowsingonamobiledeviceandactuallycompletingtransactions.Thisgapislikelytocloseinallcasesovertime,asconsumerconfidencegrowsandthesupportingecosystem,includingdigitalpaymentsandlogistics,becomesmoreestablished.Thesurveydataalsoshowsthat‘digitalawareness’ofm-commerceishighandcaninturnprovideafoundationtomovetoactualonlinetransactionsoncetheremainingbarriersareaddressed.

Statista

Theannualsurveymeasuresthelevelofengagementamongsmartphoneandnon-smartphoneownersacross26usecasesandservicesin10categories.36,000peoplesurveyedintotal:1,000respondentsagedover18yearsoldin32surveyedcountries,plus2,000ineachofChinaandIndia.

Theriseofe-commerce13

ENABLINGE-COMMERCEINCENTRALAFRICA:THEROLEOFMOBILESERVICESANDPOLICYIMPLICATIONS

1.4E-commerceandtrade

E-commercehasthepotentialtoboostcross-bordertradeandopenupnewopportunitiesforbuyersandsellers.Thisisalreadyevidentinhighlyintegratedmarkets,suchasFranceandGermany,whilefreetradeagreements,suchastheUS-Mexico-CanadaAgreement(USMCA),haveprovisionstodrivecross-bordere-commerce.InAfrica,e-commercehasthepotentialtosignificantlyboostfreetradeacrosstheregionandthereforehelprealisetheobjectivesoftheAfricanContinentalFreeTradeArea(AfCFTA).12

TheAfCTArecognisesthepotentialofe-commerceasa‘significantdriverandoutcomeofintra-Africantrade’.Animportantstepfore-commercedevelopmentintheregionistheadoptionoftheAfricanDigitalTradeandDigitalEconomyStrategybytheAfricanUnion(AU)AssemblyinFebruary2020.ThestrategyaimstoenableAUmemberstatestofullybenefitfromthefourthindustrialrevolutionandfacilitatetheimplementationofthefreetradearea.Bytheendof2019,54ofthe55AUmembershadsignedtheAfCFTA,creatingtheworld’slargestfreetradeareaintermsofparticipatingcountries.AsofDecember2020,34countrieshadratifiedtheagreement,includingnineECCASmemberstates–Angola,Cameroon,CentralAfricanRepublic,Chad,Congo,EquatorialGuinea,Gabon,RwandaandSaoTome&Principe.13

“E-commercehasthepotentialtoliftintra-Africantradefromthecurrentrateof18%andtoboostAfrica’sshareofglobaltrade,currentlyestimated

atlessthan3%.”

AjayKumarBramdeo,

AfricanUnionambassadortotheUnitedNationsinGeneva,April2019

“ExcitementasAfricacountsdownhourstostartoftradingunderAfCFTA”,,December2020

StatusofAfCFTARatification,Tralac,2020

Abroadtermreferringtothesaleofgoodsandservicesonline;itencompassesallformsofe-commerceordigitaltrade,includingthegigorsharingeconomy.

“AlibabaBacksIndianeCommLogisticsFirmWith$10MInfusion”,,December2019

“HowOnlineMarketplacesCanPowerEmploymentinAfrica”,BCG,March2019

DigitalTechnologyandInclusiveGrowth,LuohanAcademy,2019

Afri-Shopping:ExploringtheAfricanE-commerceStartupEcosystemReport2017,DIsruptAfrica

“HowOnlineMarketplacesCanPowerEmploymentinAfrica”,BCG,March2019

14Theriseofe-commerce

ENABLINGE-COMMERCEINCENTRALAFRICA:THEROLEOFMOBILESERVICESANDPOLICYIMPLICATIONS

1.5Socioeconomicbenefitsofe-commerce

Thebroaderdigitaltransformationofsociety,asdemonstratedbytheuseofincreasinglyinterconnecteddigitalplatformsandsolutionstodeliverpublicandprivateservices,generatesmeasurablesocial,economicandculturalbenefitsforindividuals,businessesandwidersociety.Digitalcommerce14ande-commerceinparticular,asoffshootsofdigitaltransformation,alsooffersignificantsocietalbenefits.

Atafoundationallevel,e-commercefacilitatesconvenienceandchoiceforcustomersbymakingshoppingfromanywhereandatanytimepossible.Thismeansbuyerscangettheproductstheywantandneedmorequicklywithoutbeingconst