The fifth regional meeting on the development of an ECOWAS E-commerce strategy (ECS) has been held in Accra, Ghana.
The two-day programme from Monday, March 20, 2023, to Tuesday, March 21, 2023, aims at validating the draft of the ECOWAS e-commerce strategy for onward transmission to Ministers of Trade through their Senior Officials.
According to the Acting Director of Trade at ECOWAS, Kolawole Sofola, “The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission is developing the ECOWAS E-commerce Strategy (ECS), with the support of UNCTAD, to assist the region in its efforts to use technology to accelerate structural change and development, and foster regional integration, including through economic diversification, job creation and more inclusive trade activities.”
The draft strategy, he noted is in line with ECOWAS’ 2050 vision, AU Agenda 2063 and SDG goals.
The four strategic pillars of the ECS include: Institutional strengthening, Ensuring trust, eCommerce intelligence and Inclusion. These pillars will contribute towards deepening economic integration, boosting structural transformation and creating jobs.
Speaking in an interview with GhanaWeb Business, Mr Sofola noted that e-commerce is opening new market opportunities for businesses and consumers around the world and the strategy seeks to position the region to take advantage of these opportunities.
ECOWAS e-commerce strategy will develop our sector locally – Liberia Trade Ministry
Clarence Freeman, a representative from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry in Liberia said the implementation of this new strategy will help Liberia expand businesses within the e-commerce sector.
“This e-commerce strategy is good for us as a country because we are still in the nursing stage but it is good to have a regional strategy that supports the national strategy so overall, the support from ECOWAS will help us as a country to develop the sector so that we can move on the same level,” he told GhanaWeb’s Ernestina Serwaa Asante in an exclusive interview.
Meanwhile, ECOWAS has been advised to ensure it mobilises resources for the effective implementation of the Strategy.