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 Côte d’Ivoire, Benin, Ghana, Liberia, Uganda, South Sudan, Zimbabwe, the Republic of Congo, São Tomé and Príncipe, 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/VON