Gov’t Urged to Remove Bottlenecks on Dev't of E-commerce

Addis Ababa  March 9/2022 /ENA/ The government needs to remove bottlenecks in the development of e-commerce as there is a huge potential for e-commerce in Ethiopia, Africom Technologies Chief Executive Officer (CEO) said.

Speaking at a "workshop on E-Commerce in Ethiopia Challenges and Prospects" yesterday, Africom Technologies CEO Baheru Zeyenu said the government is showing increased commitment to the development of e-commerce in Ethiopia it needs to quicken its pace and  remove major obstacles hindering the growth of the sector.

According to him, the National Digital Strategy 2025, adoption of the Electronic World Trade Platform (EWDP), the national ID project, electronic transaction proclamation, the liberalization of the telecom sector, including government-led projects like ICT Park, among others, demonstrate the government’s commitment to  e-commerce.

Yet, the government needs to accelerate its pace in addressing the major obstacles to the growth of the sector, he stated.

The CEO pointed out lack of coordination among government institutions, absence of regulatory framework that formally recognizes e-commerce operators, are a few of the barriers.

E-commerce has a great future if the government addresses the issues of digital literacy, Bahiru said, recalling that there are more than 54 million mobile and 22 million active data service users in Ethiopia.

The country also needs to address issues of the national payment system, he stressed.

Addis Ababa Chamber of Commerce and Sectoral Associations Secretary-General Shibeshi Betemariam, said on his part that there is a burgeoning market in the e-commerce.

The government has to give due attention to solve the problems e-commerce is facing in the private sector.

The secretary-general revealed that several e-commerce actors, including renowned world players, are joining the Ethiopian market.

He, therefore, called on the government to fasten its pace to remove bottlenecks on the expansion of e-commerce.

The one-day workshop was organized by the Addis Ababa Chamber of Commerce and Sectoral Associations.