International

Trade

Centre

COMMITTEDTO

IMPROVINGTHESTATE

OFTHEWORLD

AfricaE-CommerceAgenda

RoadmapforAction

September2019

02

Summary

04

Introduction

04

Challengesto

E-Commerce

2Growth

06

Developing

AnAction

Agenda

08

Action

Agenda

24

Next

Steps

SUMMARY

Onlinemarketplacescoulddriveinclusive

growthacrossAfrica,withe-commerce

likelytocreateasmanyas3millionjobsby

2025.Benefitswillincludeopeningmarkets

tootherwiseisolatedruralcommunities,

servicingAfrica'sfast-growingconsumer

class,andofferingwomenaccesstonew

businessopportunities.Realizingthis

potentialpresentsamajoropportunity,but

w川requiresignificantannualgrowth,and

mustfirstovercomeanumberof

challenges.

Africa'sE-commerceAgendaisacallto

actionfrome-commercestakeholders

withinandbeyondthecontinent.Ledby

theWorldEconomicForumandtheInter-

nationalTradeCentre(ITC)acommunityof

businessleadersandexpertshave

identifiedeightareasforconsideration-

rangingfromrefreshingpoliciesto

expandingconnectivity,andupgrading

logisticstomanagingdata.Eacharea

comeswithagoalandrecommended

steps.

Nowisthetimetoensurethat

thejobsandinclusivegrowth

potentialofe-commerceis

capturedforAfrica.

INTRODUCTION

Thepotentialof

e-commerce

E-commerceinAfricaiswellWithaction,e-commercecanbecomea

underway,involvingbusiness-to-forceforsustainabledevelopment.One

exampleisgender.Womenentrepreneurs

business,business-to-consumer,

increasinglyusedigitaltoolstodrive

goodsandservices.Already,businesses,wherepreviouslysocialnorms

estimatessuggestasmanyasorfamilydutiesmayhavekeptthemoutof

264e-commercestart-upsaretheworkforce.

operationalacrossthecontinent,

Just37%ofwomeninSub-SaharanAfrica

activeinatleast23countries.Ithaveabankaccount,comparedto48%of

bringssignificantemploymentmen.Insomecases,fintechcanhelpbring

potential,withonlinemarketfinancialservicesdirectlytowomenthat

mayotherwisehavefacedlegalorcultural

placessettogenerate3million

barriersthroughmoretraditionalroutes.

jobsby2025.

CHALLENGES

Thesewillbedirect,aswellasinYettherearechallengestoAfrica's

supportingservices,suchase-commercegrowth.Toomanystart-ups

logisticsandpaymentserviceareunprofitable.Entrepreneursbattle

providers;customerrelationsexceptionallylowconsumertrustand

e-skills,lowinternetpenetrationand

management,marketing,analyticsaffordability,uncompetitivedelivery

andwebsiteservicesandinfrastructure,fragmentedmarketsand

technologyvendors.Inturn,risingbarrierstocross-bordere-payments.

deliveryserviceswillneed

Accordingtosomeestimates,emerging

mechanics,jobportalsrequireeconomiesstandtogainUS$3.7trillionin

recruiters,whileanybusinessGDPbygreateruseofdigitalfinance,yet

reliesonlegal,accountingandonly34%ofAfricanadultsmadeor

officespace.receivedadigitalpaymentin2017.Despite

increaseddigitalvisibilityinneighbouring

markets,intra-regionalandglobal

e-commercetraderemainssmall.

Regulationshavenotkeptpacewithdigital

developments.AccordingtotheUnited

Nations,32ofAfrica's54nationshavelaws

inplacetogovern"e-transactions"(online

exchange);23havelawsondataprotection

andprivacy;andonly20addressonline

consumerprotection.

Theregionalsolagsbehindothersinthe

UNCTADB2CE-commerceIndex,whichis

calculatedonasetoffourcomposite

indicatorshighlyrelevanttoonline

shopping.

5

Developingan

actionagenda

Generatingthose3millionAnecosystemapproach

newjobsassumesa25-50%Eachareaidentifiescurrenthurdles,sets

annualrevenuegrowthfromgoalsandoffersreferencestohelpreach

Africa'scurrentonlinemarketthem.Theagendarecognizesthatforany

individuale-commercebusinesstoprosper,

places,accordingtosomeawideecosystemofdigitaltechnologyand

researchers,butrealizingthesesupportingcompaniesmustalsoflourish,

6figuresrequiresaction.Awithamixoflocalandglobalactionneed-

communityofbusinessesandedifgrowingcross-borderactivityisthe

goal.Manyoftheactionslistedwouldhave

expertsledbytheWorld

benefitsforbothonlinemarketplacesand

EconomicForumandtheawidercohortofdigitaltradebusinesses.

InternationalTradeCentre(ITC)

Leveragingexistingnegotiations

haveidentifiedeightpriority

actionsforconsiderationbyCritically,thisactionagendaencourages

Africa'spolicy-makerstopursue

Africa'spolicyleadersandthe

e-commerceprioritiesatmultiplelevels,

internationaldevelopmentgivenitsinherentlyborderlesspotential.

community.Itcallsforfirmlyanchoringe-commerce

withinthenegotiationsontheAfrican

ContinentalFreeTradeArea(AfCFTA)and

encouragesmoreAfricangovernments

tojointheplurilateralnegotiationson

e-commerceattheWorldTrade

Organization(WTO).

Byengagingininternationaltradetalks

Africacanchampiontheinterestsof

small-andmedium-sizedenterprises

(SMEs)withlessresourcestotackle

regulatoryfrictionandmarketbarriers.The

donorcommunitymustalsoleanin.Stillfar

toolittleoverseasdevelopmentassistanceGeneral'sHigh-LevelPanelOnDigital

isdedicatedtonewtradedrivers;just1%Cooperation.Theseareaswillbethe

ofallfundingunder"AidforTrade"pro-guard-railsofe-commerceandthedigital

grammesisallocatedto"ICTsolutions",leteconomy.Itisimportanttotakea

alonee-commerce.bottom-upapproachwhendefiningpolicy

interventions,toensurebuy-infromlocal

Widerdigitaleconomystakeholders,whoneedtobesatisfiedthat

infrastructuretheoveralldigitalecosystemisbeneficialto

them.

Werecognizethate-commerceand

newtradeopportunitiessitwithinabroader

Thisactionagendaisdesignedasa

digitaleconomycontext,including

launchpadfore-commercejobsanddevel-

infrastructure-related,andtechnology

opment.Itisnot,however,adeep-dive-

questionssuchas5G.Policycooperation

other,moredetailedsourcesofinformation

onrelateddigitalissues-taxation,

onthedigitaleconomyinAfrica,suchas

competition,labourandconsumerprotec-

theUNCTADNairobiManifesto,areuseful.

tion,intellectualproperty-iscritical,too,as

notedbytheUnitedNationsSecretary

ACTIONAGENDA

Refresh

policies

AspirationAction

SupportthecreationofAfricangovernmentsleadmulti-stakeholder

policydebatesnationally,explore

nationalorregionale-commerce

co-regulationoptions,takeforward

multistakeholderassociationstoe-commerceinoperationalisingtheAfCFTA

championpolicies;developtheandengageinnegotiationsattheWTO.

AfricanDigitalTradeandDigitalInternationaldonorsprovidelegaland

technicalcapacitybuildingasneeded.

8EconomyStrategyasmandated

fortheAfricanUnionAssemblyinImportance

February2020;agreeanPoliciesshapethebusinessenvironment,

approachforincorporatingaffectingeverythingfrompaymentoptions

tointernetpricesandIPprotection.

e-commerceintotheAfCFTA-

Tradecooperation,integrationinstruments

whetherasastand-alonechapter,andrulesbasedoncommonstandards

protocolorbuildingonexistingcanboostexportsbyreducingbusiness

AfricanUnioninstruments;uncertaintyandcompliancecosts.

intra-regionalregulatory

Challenge

interoperability;andrepresentAlthoughsomee-commercestrategies

theseinterestsglobally.andpoliciesareatplay,Africafallsbehind

onadoptingkeyregulations,andlegal

uncertaintyexistsonmulti-jurisdictional

issues(e-transactions,privacy,consumer

protection,digitalidentity).Thereisa

needtosupportaninclusivepan-African

perspectivefore-commerceandthedigital

economy.

The"RapideTradeReadiness

Assessmentprogramme,championed

bytheUnitedNationsConferenceon

TradeandDevelopment(UNCTAD),

analysesthee-commercesituationina

numberofcountries.Theassessments

offerafast-trackmappingofchallenges

andopportunitiesandidentifiespolicy

recommendations.

ACTIONAGENDA

Expand

connectivity

AspirationAction

Achievethe"missed"SustainableTakestepstoencouragecompetitive

DevelopmentGoal9c-providemarketsaimedattheunconnected,

includingthroughclearspectrum

universalandaffordableinternetmanagement,transparencyonlicensing,

accesstoleastdevelopedandinvestmentintonewbusinessmodels.

countriesby2020-inAfrica

Importance

by2030.

Usersarekeyforkick-startingdomestic

e-commercegrowthandentrepreneurs

needconnectivity.Affordableinternet

accessisthebackboneofaninclusive

digitaleconomy.

Challenge

OnlyaquarterofAfrica'spopulation

regularlyusestheinternet.Costsarehigh.

Onaverage,1GBofdatais9%ofmonthly

income.Abroaderinfrastructuredeficit-

particularlyonenergy-exacerbatesthe

situationforserviceprovidersandusers.

Digitalliteracyisalsolow.

PERSPECTIVE

TheWorldBankDigitalMoonshotfor

Africainitiativewillinvest$25billionin

Africa'sdigitaltransformationthrough

to2030andmobilize$25billionin

partnershipwiththeprivatesector.

ACTIONAGENDA

Upgrade

logisitics

AspirationAction

UpgradecustomsclearanceAdvanceimplementationoftheWTOTrade

FacilitationAgreement(TFA)-including

technologyandprocessesfor

elementsonimport/exporttransparency,

themajorityofAfricancountries.expeditedreleaseandsinglewindowentry

Adaptcompetitivelogisticspointsfordocumentclearingthatcouldbe

serviceofferingstoe-commerceparticularlyhelpfulfore-commerce.

andmakethemmorewidelyEstablishpublic-privatepartnershipsto

targetsmallbusinesslogisticsneedsand

available.Increaseawarenessexplorenewtechnologies.

ofe-commercepostalservices.

Importance

E-commercerequiresreliabledeliveryand

returnoptions,includingachoicebetween

postalandexpress.Smallpackagetrade

needsefficientinfrastructureandservices,

aswellaslow-hassleborderclearance.

Challenge

Inefficientlogisticsandhighlastmile

deliverycostscomparedtootherregions

eatintothine-commerceprofitmargins.

Africaisalsohometomanylandlocked

developingcountries,wherelogisticscosts

dependasmuchontheefficiencyoftheir

neighbours'transportservicesandborder

processesastheirown.

partnerssuchasDHLtosupport

SMEstobreakintolocaland

internationale-commercechannels

andtohaveaccesstoimproved

logisticsservices.

ACTIONAGENDA

Enable

e-payments

AspirationAction

ImproveinteroperabilityDriveopendialogueamongregulators,

betweeninternationalpaymentpolicy-makersandpaymentecosystem

participantstoidentifycommonchallenges

serviceproviders,localbankstothegrowthofe-payments.Implement

andregionalpaymentpoliciesthatpromotecompetitionanda

ecosystems.LeverageAfrica'slevelplayingfieldacrossthepayment

positionasagloballeaderinecosystem.

mobilepaymentswithdigitalImportance

paymentinnovationasafirstE-paymentsarefundamentalto

pointofcontactforuniversale-commercetomitigatethesecurityrisks

andcostsofhandlingcash.Theability

financialservicesaccess.

toaccepte-paymentsfromconsumers

abroadalsogivesSMEsaccesstomore

markets.

Challenge

WiththemajorityofAfrica'scitizensstill

unbanked,cashondeliveryremains

popular,usedinjustunderhalfofall

e-transactionsbyvalue.Also,policiesare

oftennotadaptedtocomplexpayment

supplychainsanddonotaccountforthe

roleofglobalnetworksinincreasing

security,reducingcyberrisk,

expandingfinancialinclusion,and

supportingcross-borderexports.

1/i

一一

PERSPECTIVE

SafaricomhaspartneredwithPaypal

toenablequalifyingKenyancustomers

totransfermoneybetweentheonline

paymentssystemandthe

telecommunicationoperator'sM-Pesa

mobilewallet.Themovewouldenable

M-Pesa'sKenyansubscribersto

transactonline,viamobileoranapp

withPayPal's286millionactiveusers

inupto25internationalcurrencies.

ACTIONAGENDA

Manage

data

AspirationAction

RemainopentodataflowbyAcceleratedatalegislationdialogueand

implementation;includingratifyingthe

allowingregionalintegrationof

MalaboConvention(onCyberSecurity

AfricandatamarketsthroughandPersonalDataProtection).Provide

transparentrulesandexploreinformationandsupporttomerchantsfor

waystoeasebusinesscompliancewithoverseasmarketprivacy

complianceinotherregions.regulations.

EngageintheOECDprocessImportance

ondigitaltaxconcerns.Dataflowacrossborderssupportsthe

deliveryofpaymentprocessing,software

andplatformservices,customerrelations

managementsystemsandsoon.

Globaldataflowdrivesbusinesslinks,

whilegreaterregionaldataflowwillbe

neededtolowerconnectivitycosts.

Challenge

LessthanhalfofAfricaneconomieshave

dataprotectionregimes,withpatchy

enforcement.Thosehavingenactedor

consideringdataprotectionregimesare

doingsoatanationallevel,riskingmarket

fragmentation.Atthesametime,

merchantsarealreadyadheringtoprivacy

standardsinnearbymarkets-suchasthe

EuropeanUnion.Africanstakeholderviews

differsharplyondatalocalization;whether

asawaytocapturedigitalvalueorasa

barriertoservicesaccess.

PERSPECTIVE

Pursuedatacooperationandcapacity

buildingbetweenEuropeandAfrica

asproposedinareportbytheEU-AU

DigitalEconomyTaskForce(EU-AU

DETF)undertheumbrellaoftheNew

Africa-EuropeDigitalEconomy

Partnership.

ACTIONAGENDA

Growthe

techindustry

AspirationAction

DoubleinvestmentintoIdentifyspecificstepstoencouragetech

FDIandstrengthencountries'capabilities

Africa'stechsectorand

toimplementthese.Supportbusiness

relatedenablingservices-tobecomeinvestor-ready;establish

includinginmarginalizedfinancingvehiclesthatblendpublicand

economies-toberealizedprivatefinancingtode-riskstart-upfunding.

by2030.

Importance

EquityfundinginAfricantechstart-upshas

increasedrapidly-reachingUS$1.16billion

in2018.Verylittlecanbeachievedwithout

sectorspecificinvestmenttostrengthen

e-commercebusinesses.ForeignDirect

Investment(FDI)hasaroletoplayin

plugginginfrastructuregapsandraisingthe

availabilityofriskcapital.

Challenge

OverallFDIflowsintoAfricaaremore

limitedthaninotherregions,addingupto

just3.5%oftheglobaltotalin2018,while

techfundingspecificallymaybe5-6times

lower.Mostinvestmentisconcentratedina

handfulofeconomies.

PERSPECTIVE

Africa50,apan-Africaninfrastructure

investmentplatform,launchedan

InnovationChallengeatthe2019

TransformAfricaSummitheldinKigali,

Rwanda.Thechallengecallsfor

solutionstoincreasehigh-speed

internetaccessinunder-servedareas

withwinningsolutionsconsideredfor

projectdevelopmentfunding.

ACTIONAGENDA

Coachsmall

business

AspirationAction

IncreasethecompetitivenessBetteruseincubators-ona400%rise

ofAfrica'sstart-upsthroughacrossthecontinentasoftheendof2018

-togetsmallbusinessestoapointwhere

skillsdevelopment,coachingtheycansustainablyattractglobalprivate

andmarketaccessopportunities.investment.Workwithnetworkssuchas

TheAfricanCivilSocietyfortheInformation

Society(ACSIS)onICTskillstrainingand

encouragingyouthinnovation.

Importance

Digitalizationbringsnewopportunities.

Techservicesandplatformsarehelping

todigitizemanyofAfrica'ssmall

businessesandcanofferapathway

towardsformalization.