Stage is set for Africa eCommerce 2018, Kenya agog - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The United Nations body responsible for helping leverage on trades, the Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has concluded plans to host the maiden edition of the Africa eCommerce Week in Nairobi, Kenya, reports ITREALMS.

The week-long event which opens today, Monday is to last till Friday, December 14, in what has been classified as the first regional incarnation of UNCTAD’s global eCommerce Week, held annually in Geneva.
ITREALMS reports that under the theme “Empowering African Economies in the Digital Era”, Africa eCommerce Week is a response to the growing demand for e-commerce dialogues, as the digital and mobile revolution continues apace.

It comes at an opportune moment, given that the international community, regional organizations, and individual countries are exploring ways to advance development gains from the digital economy and thereby help achieve the ambition of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Moreover, the landmark African Continental Free Trade Agreement, signed in March this year, is expected to have a positive impact on intra-African trade. As trade increasingly moves online, there is a growing need to discuss the implications of e-commerce for African economies.

Already, in 2017, Africa had 21 million online shoppers – showing the enormous potential of the African e-commerce marketplace.

“Turning this tremendous opportunity into inclusive development requires a massive effort on the part of all of us – in Africa and beyond,” said UNCTAD Secretary-General Mukhisa Kituyi.

“We are at critical juncture – and that it is why UNCTAD decided to have a meeting in Africa, for Africa and by Africa, focused on harnessing the potential of digitalization and the mobile revolution.”

Chuks Egbune/GEE

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