What the speakers are saying at the UNCTAD conference for Africa E-commerce.  Live Blog from UN 10.12.18

Dylan Piatti

Industry Chief of Staff, & Chairman: E-commerce Forum Africa

Deloitte Africa & Ecommerce Forum Africa

• Get ubered before you get Kodak-ed! (LOL)
• Happy there were bigger lines for the private sector in registration

George Njenga

SBS Dean

Strathmore University

• Discussions and conferences are all good – however, we need action…centres for action are important.
• Good policies should be set up by the right bodies.
• Regional centre for data analytics at Strathmore University set up to gather and analyse.
• How many govts and leaders understand Blockchain?? Blockchain tech will bring trust closer.
• SMEs do not have the opportunities; however, they do have quality.
• Intercultural integration – trust issue. Inter-trade higher outside of Africa (11%) but lower within Africa (gone down from 4% to 3%)

Elsie Kanza

Head of Africa and member of the Executive Committee

World Economic Forum

• How to get elderly and disability onboard? Should be thought about for their inclusion
• Police issues – focus on trade facilitation, e-transaction laws, consumer protection online (trust on credit card payments), data privacy, functional and risk-based payment rules (people still prefer cash on delivery rather than cash-less).

Alison Gillwald

Executive Director/Prof

Research ICT Africa/University of Cape Town

• Challenge – go beyond traditional,
• Another issue – Don’t have sufficient data, connectivity challenge is biggest.
• Internet penetration – richer/most developed countries has higher than more development countries which has lower internet penetration. Also – gender gaps and urban-rural are bigger.
• Affordability is an issue (even if broadband is available) – how to bring down cost of devices for connectivity.
• Govts – need to remove the taxation to have poor to be able to get online.
• Power/electricity is important – for blockchain and e-commerce

Here is an update for the Nairobi Manifesto from the event that was put together. Click here to go to the link to read the full Manifesto by Africa E-commerce Week.