The African Development Fund, ADF and Smart Africa Alliance have inaugurated a 1.5 million dollar project to streamline digital trade and e-commerce policies across 10 African countries.
This is contained in a statement issued on the African Development Ban, AfDB website.
It said the Institutional Support for Digital Payments and e-Commerce Policies for Cross-Border Trade Project, IDECT would evaluate policy gaps in the digital trade and e-commerce ecosystems of the various countries.
It named the countries to be CĂ´te d’Ivoire, Benin, Ghana, Liberia, Uganda, South Sudan, Zimbabwe, the Republic of Congo, SĂŁo TomĂ© and PrĂncipe, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
According to the statement, the project will see to the implementation of regional training and capacity-building programs.
It said it would focuse on cross-border e-payment and e-commerce for governments, private sectors, and Small and Medium Sized Enterprises, SMEs.
The statement said: “These programs are expected to reach 600 participants, with 60 per cent being women and youth.
“A certified gender-sensitive e-learning training program addressing the unique challenges faced by women in digital trade and e-commerce, will be developed and disseminated to 2,500 participants, of whom 60 per cent will be women.”
The AfDB Director-General for Southern Africa Region, Leïla Mokaddem, described the IDECT as a pivotal step towards strengthening Africa’s digital trade and e-commerce landscape.
“This initiative will bolster the development of harmonised e-payment policies, capacity building, and gender-sensitive frameworks.
”Ultimately fostering a digital trade ecosystem that generates employment opportunities across the continent,” she said.
The Chief Executive Officer, CEO of Smart Africa, Lacina Koné, said: “The IDECT project demonstrates our commitment to fostering digital transformation and economic growth in Africa.
”By addressing policy gaps and promoting gender-sensitive training, we are laying the foundation for a thriving digital trade and e-commerce ecosystem.”
NAN/Confidence Okwuchi
