世界经济论坛-非洲电子商务议程：行动路线图（英）-2019.9-25页_8mb

Africa E-Commerce Agenda Summary

Core Content

Africa's e-commerce sector is poised to become a major driver of inclusive growth, with the potential to create up to 3 million jobs by 2025. This growth can empower rural communities, expand access to the continent's fast-growing consumer base, and provide women entrepreneurs with new business opportunities. However, realizing this potential requires addressing a range of challenges and implementing a coordinated action agenda.

Main Challenges

• Low consumer trust and e-skills: Many Africans lack digital literacy and confidence in online transactions.
• Limited internet penetration: Only a quarter of the population regularly uses the internet, with data costs being a significant burden (e.g., 1GB of data costs 9% of the average monthly income).
• Uncompetitive delivery infrastructure: Logistics costs are high, and last-mile delivery is inefficient, especially in landlocked countries.
• Fragmented markets and regulatory gaps: Few countries have comprehensive e-commerce laws, and regulations often lag behind digital developments.
• Low adoption of digital payments: Cash on delivery remains popular, with only 34% of African adults making or receiving digital payments in 2017.
• Limited investment in tech: Africa receives less foreign direct investment (FDI) in the tech sector compared to other regions, with most concentrated in a few economies.
• Digital literacy and skills gaps: Small businesses often lack the necessary skills and knowledge to operate effectively in the digital economy.
• Fragmented funding sources: There is a lack of coordination between internet, digital economy, and trade-related funding.

Key Areas for Action

1. Refresh Policies

• Aspiration: Support the development of national or regional e-commerce associations, promote the African Digital Trade and Digital Economy Strategy, and integrate e-commerce into AfCFTA and WTO negotiations.
• Importance: Policies shape the business environment, influencing payment options, internet pricing, and IP protection.
• Challenge: Legal uncertainty and fragmented regulation across jurisdictions hinder e-commerce growth.

2. Expand Connectivity

• Aspiration: Achieve universal and affordable internet access in Africa by 2030.
• Action: Encourage competitive markets, improve spectrum management, and promote transparency in licensing.
• Importance: Affordable internet is essential for an inclusive digital economy and e-commerce growth.
• Challenge: High costs and low digital literacy limit internet adoption and usage.

3. Upgrade Logistics

• Aspiration: Improve customs clearance and logistics services for e-commerce.
• Action: Implement the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA), establish public-private partnerships, and explore new technologies.
• Importance: Efficient logistics are critical for reliable delivery and return services, especially for small businesses.
• Challenge: Inefficient infrastructure and high last-mile costs reduce e-commerce profitability.

4. Enable E-Payments

• Aspiration: Improve interoperability between payment systems and promote digital financial services.
• Action: Encourage open dialogue between regulators and payment providers, and implement policies that support a level playing field.
• Importance: E-payments reduce security risks and enable SMEs to access international markets.
• Challenge: Most citizens remain unbanked, and policies often fail to address complex payment supply chains.

5. Manage Data

• Aspiration: Facilitate data flow and support compliance with international data standards.
• Action: Accelerate data legislation, including ratifying the Malabo Convention, and engage in OECD processes on digital taxes.
• Importance: Data flow supports payment processing, customer management, and business expansion.
• Challenge: Data protection regimes are underdeveloped, and there is a divergence in views on data localization.

6. Grow the Tech Industry

• Aspiration: Double investment in Africa's tech sector by 2030.
• Action: Encourage tech FDI, support start-ups to become investor-ready, and create blended financing vehicles.
• Importance: Tech investment is vital for strengthening e-commerce and the broader digital economy.
• Challenge: FDI in tech is limited, with most concentrated in a few economies.

7. Coach Small Business

• Aspiration: Enhance the competitiveness of small businesses through skills development and market access.
• Action: Utilize incubators and collaborate with networks like ACSIS for ICT training and youth innovation.
• Importance: Digitalization offers new opportunities for small businesses to formalize and grow.
• Challenge: Many small businesses lack the skills and knowledge to engage in e-commerce.

8. Join Forces

• Aspiration: Allocate 10% of Aid for Trade funding to digital trade activities by 2025.
• Action: Develop targeted regional capacity-building programs and foster public-private partnerships.
• Importance: Coordinated support is necessary to address gaps in research, strategy, and expertise.
• Challenge: Donor institutions often lack e-commerce strategies, and funding silos persist.

Next Steps

• African governments are actively discussing updated e-commerce strategies.
• The agenda serves as a framework for inclusive and sustainable e-commerce growth.
• With seven of the world's ten fastest-growing internet populations in Africa, overcoming e-commerce barriers is feasible.
• The World Economic Forum and ITC are leading efforts to shape a coordinated and inclusive e-commerce ecosystem.

Conclusion

Africa's e-commerce agenda is a call to action for stakeholders to work together and create an environment that supports growth, innovation, and inclusion. It emphasizes the need for policy reform, infrastructure investment, and capacity building to unlock the full potential of e-commerce for the continent.