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Wednesday, December 12, 2018

Press Release
UNCTAD/PRESS/PR/2018/48*
Original: English
 
MADAGASCAR, UGANDA AND ZAMBIA SET TO EXPLOIT DIGITAL ECONOMY OPPORTUNITIES

UNCTAD publishes new Rapid eTrade Readiness Assessments

 
Geneva, 10 December 2018 – Mobile connectivity is fueling e-commerce in Madagascar, Uganda and Zambia, priming them to better engage with the digital economy, assessments by UNCTAD of the prospects that new technologies can boost trade in the three African countries have found.

The three reports, which demonstrate readiness across seven policy areas in the UNCTAD-led e-Trade for all partnership, were launched today at the opening of the first Africa eCommerce Week in Nairobi, Kenya. Recommendations in the reports lay the ground for e-commerce stakeholders to act, UNCTAD Secretary-General Mukhisa Kituyi said.

“The benefits of the report recommendations will not be felt unless they are effectively implemented,” Dr. Kituyi said. “This will require integrating specific elements of the recommendations into national development plans, government and private sector initiatives, ICT policies and strategies, regulatory frameworks and development projects.”

Although e-commerce and digital entrepreneurship are snowballing on the continent – more than 21 million Africans shop online – countries are at very different stages of development, the UNCTAD reports show.

For instance, Uganda’s mobile transactions amounted to a staggering $16.3 billion, half the national GDP. But Zambia, where mobile money is gaining momentum, lags since Zambians prefer cash-on-delivery for e-commerce transactions. In Madagascar, only 6% of the population use the Internet and only 4% have bank accounts. But this means retailers are more likely to accept online payments via mobile phone.

All three countries face challenges in expanding information, communication and technology (ICT) infrastructure, improving trade logistics and access to financing for e-commerce ventures. The reports offer insight into the country-specific elements that could help unlock certain areas of the digital economy.

The Uganda assessment, for example, recommends the establishment of a multi-sectoral task force on e-commerce to help create a common understanding of the opportunities and challenges associated with it. Doing so would also improve public-private coordination, the report outlines.

In Zambia, the assessment proposes accelerating the existing national addressing and postcode project. Since 2014, more than 60,000 house number and street number signs have been installed. Weak physical addressing remains a barrier for local e-commerce vendors. This means goods ordered online cannot always be delivered efficiently and reliably.

The Madagascar assessment highlights the need for a more efficient financing system for ICT and e-commerce start-ups. It recommends strengthening the dialogue between the private sector, the government’s Economic Development Board of Madagascar, technology start-ups and banks, who can together define the most common needs in the field of the digital economy.

This would help stimulate investments in micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, which are the engine of the local economy.

The reports consider seven key areas: overall e-commerce readiness and strategy, ICT infrastructure and services, trade logistics and facilitation, payment solutions, legal and regulatory frameworks, e-commerce skills development, and access to finance.

E-commerce on the agenda 

The governments of Madagascar, Uganda and Zambia welcomed the new assessments at a special ministerial roundtable at Africa eCommerce Week.

“The globalization of trade requires the use of ICTs to gain market share. Developing e-commerce means shortening distances as well as transaction times,” Christian Ntsay, prime minister of Madagascar, said. “It is vital for developing countries such as Madagascar, to exploit the opportunities available to them through e-commerce.”

Ugandan state minister for cooperatives, Frederick Gume Ngobe, said: “E-commerce is an impetus for entrepreneurship, innovation and business development that can benefit all the people in Uganda.”

The permanent secretary of Zambia’s commerce ministry, Kayula Siame, said the report offered a roadmap for Zambian policy.

“The assessment provides a roadmap for what needs to be done in different policy areas, but we need to coordinate our activities,” she said. “A national e-commerce strategy for Zambia would help align different stakeholders towards a common vision.”

eTrade for all

The Government of Germany funded the three Rapid eTrade Readiness Assessments as part of its support to the eTrade for all initiative. The initiative provides capacity-building in e-commerce development and helps connect the dots between beneficiary countries, donors and development partners.

Since the launch of the Rapid eTrade Readiness programme in 2016, 15 assessments have been undertaken for Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Liberia, Madagascar, Myanmar, Nepal, Samoa, Senegal, Solomon Islands, Togo, Uganda, Vanuatu and Zambia.
With the support of key donors, at least 10 additional least developed countries and other developing countries will benefit from the programme in 2019.

 
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Tuesday, December 11, 2018

African eCommerce Week
11 December 2018


 
Continental free trade area to boost e-commerce in Africa
High-level session at UNCTAD's Africa eCommerce Week shows that the continent has the potential to scale e-commerce enterprises - but its new free trade area will be key.

Read more
 
Tear down barriers and African e-commerce will thrive, say CEOs
Participants at UNCTAD's Africa eCommerce Week discover that e-commerce will flourish only when governments and businesses across the continent work together.

Read more
 
President of Kenya opens UNCTAD e-commerce event in Nairobi
The president of host country Kenya welcomes UNCTAD's Africa eCommerce Week to Nairobi as dignitaries look toward empowering African economies in the digital era.

Read more

 
See all our news

Sunday, November 18, 2018

Africans should maximise trust with east - currently they are stiff suffering from hangover of colonial and coldwar ages: borders of far too many separate nations need massive cooperation - hopefully this regional crisis will be coneverd march 2019 by african contributors to un;s www.digitalcooperation.org
too many global extractors who dont give their lovcal producers enough share of value chain -0 this crisis spans foods like coffee to natural resources like energy -will any blockchains be designed to look after value of source farmers?
best news for africa - this china summit

FOCAC :: 6th in 2015; news; 7th in beijing in 2018 -chinese notes on africa rsvp isabella@unacknowledgedgiant.com linkedin UNwomens - whats on next on africa's diary that needs to be logged at EconomistDiary.com
Africa in beijing latest apl zimbabwe 1 2; mar senegal namimbia us hub china-africa

Discuss next 100 bn $ of African Infrastucture Investment... 018 rising//Outlook//Continuing Entrepreneurial Revolution Curriculum of The Economist's Norman Macrae 10 sept 1923 to 11 June 2010
breaking 2018 -help accra stage africa's and the world's greatest jobs creating education summit

rwanda ewtp partnerships with jack ma and paul farmer
youbg education entreprenejrs like audrey cheng mioringa kenyta
head of inctad is kenyan and helping jack ma bring tech to 3 african countries each year - serach efounders alibaba global business school -more at www.alibabauni.com
eleni's brave attempt at a transprent commoduty market

Web results

Gabre-Madhin left her earlier job, as a World Bank senior economist in Washington, DC, in part because she was disturbed by ... Eleni Gabre-Madhin's TED talk.
 the brave work of pergter ryan at microloanfoundation
unhabitat's new head (former female mayor of penang) - report exampkles of sustainable cities to her by march 2019 for new report st\arting 2020 on sustainability cities
partners of brac and adolesecent girls clubs
extensions of mpesa nad bkash where owned in trust for the poorest -refer to quadiurs at MIT for where these models are being sustained
replication of the ihub model when sponsored by owners who make th]eir money from open source software like ushahidi
the world's best model for free university - maharishi cida networks founded by taddy and ann blecher
thise who apply the community building spirit of mandela and gandhi


FOCAC :: 6th in 2015; news; 7th in beijing in 2018 -chinese notes on africa rsvp isabella@unacknowledgedgiant.com linkedin UNwomens - whats on next on africa's diary that needs to be logged at EconomistDiary.com
Africa in beijing latest apl zimbabwe 1 2; mar senegal namimbia us hub china-africa

Discuss next 100 bn $ of African Infrastucture Investment... 018 rising//Outlook//Continuing Entrepreneurial Revolution Curriculum of The Economist's Norman Macrae 10 sept 1923 to 11 June 2010
breaking 2018 -help accra stage africa's and the world's greatest jobs creating education summit
  Mali expats how can satellites empower women and  the UN and millennials- the Toure family's crusade orbits round their home nation mashing up every goodwill connection the UN and ITU can muster
reviews needed of latest impacts of million dolar prize of cellent founder 

Ibrahim Prize - Wikipedia

Reward(s), $5 million. First awarded, 2007. Last awarded, 2017. Website, moibrahimfoundation.org. The Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership is an annual prize awarded to a ...
Reward(s)‎: ‎$5 million
Last awarded‎: ‎2017
First awarded‎: ‎2007
Sponsored by‎: ‎Mo Ibrahim Foundation
Feb 12, 2018 - Africa's first female president, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, has been awarded a $5 million prize for excellence in African leadership. 


#theeconomist #BR9 congratulatuon's africa's nobel ;peace winner Dr Denis Mukwege, a gynaecologist from the Democratic Republic of Congo - so much so many could learn from your solutions networkhttp://www.mukwegefoundation.org/our-impact/ 
Dr. Denis Mukwege is a surgeon, gynecologist and women’s rights activist. He founded the Panzi Hospital in Bukavu in 1999 as a clinic for gynaecological and obstetric care, and expected to be working on issues of maternal health. Since 1999, however, Dr. Mukwege and his staff have helped to care for more than 40,000 survivors of sexual violence, which has made him the world’s leading expert on ‘repairing’ the internal physical damage caused by (gang) rape


- special thanks to South Africa's Taddy Blechefor being first educator to celebrate Norman Macrae remembrance party ; special thanks to sir fazle abed for being the greatest educator to remember Norman and his wonderful microfranchise-0 adolesecent girls jobs clubs across BRAC in Africa;

special thanks to 4 chinese female graduates for updating Norman's belief that the sustainability of all global youth will depend on china's education leadership , Kissinger 30 year celebration of the 150 person network of Chinese Americans who love both countries futures of youth and QuarterBillionGirls can share their story of what the human race needs to celebrate now. Africa undp reports

Sunday, November 18, 2018

bye bye africanidol.tv

we could not afford another 50 dollars a year - hope someone who cares about africa takes it over- we continue at economistafrica.com and jamiibora.ning.com 


  1. WISE Retweeted
    From $50 in his pocket, to $500,000 prize: Ashesi Founder and President, @PatrickAwuahJr, receives major education impact award: bbc.com/news/business- #WISEPrize #WISE17
  2.  WISE Retweeted
    Patrick Awuah, founder and president of Ashesi University College in Accra, wins the World Innovation Summit for Education (Wise) Prize for Education