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Niamey, 15 June - Participants in a West African regional workshop on e-commerce have called on ECA to continue its assistance to member states in this important area.
The workshop, held within the framework of the African Information Society Initiative (AISI) from 11-12 June, was jointly organized in Niamey, Niger by ISTD and the ECA sub-regional office for West Africa.
Specifically, the AISI calls for: “Linking chambers of commerce, trade associations and the business sector to help small and medium enterprises and increase both regional and global trade; reduced commercial transaction costs; online trade related information and import/export opportunities; development and marketing of new products through electronic networks.”
In this context, the workshop brought together regional ICT experts to discuss the policies and regulatory framework for the promotion of e-commerce, review obstacles to its expansion, exchange experiences and chart a roadmap for a Public Private Partnership on e-commerce in West Africa, in cooperation with ECOWAS and UEMOA.
Opening the event, the Secretary General in Niger's Finance Ministry stressed the importance of e-commerce for promoting trade. “Not only is it one of the pillars of integration in the sub-region, it is also a catalyst for inclusion in world trade and, consequently, for enhancing competitiveness on the global market,” he stated.
The SRO-WA director Abdoulaye Niang agreed, saying the meeting was crucial for boosting intra-regional trade. He hoped it would speed up implementation of a joint ECOWAS/UEMOA/ECA initiative on a regional e-commerce programme.
“Underpinned by AISI, the programme aims to establish a legal framework for e-commerce that will guarantee a secure environment for online trading by simplifying processes and procedures, and by attracting direct foreign investment to West Africa,” he explained.
Addressing a press conference later, Niger's High Commissioner on ICT Massani Koroney indicated that his country had benefited from a National Information and Communication Infrastructure (NICI) plan, supported by ECA and the Canadian e-Policy Resource Centre. The use of ICT, he noted, had contributed “to reduce poverty in a significant manner”.
During the two days, the ICT experts and economists - mainly from ministries of finance and economic development, sub-regional institutions and UN organizations - exchanged information and discussed best practices in order to come up with recommendations to put in place a sustainable e-commerce porgramme for West Africa.
They congratulated ECA on its good work and “strongly urged ECA to pursue comprehensively its assistance to member states, and to extend this to the Chambers of Commerce, in partnership with sub-regional institutions”.
For more information, please contact: mfaye@uneca.org
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