81273921-Pan-African e-Commerce Initiative - Boosting African Digital Trade in Africa - Providing technical advice on e-Commerce

The project "Pan-African e-Commerce Initiative - Boosting African Digital Trade in Africa N.A." (PeCI) aims to improve the framework conditions for companies in selected African countries, with an initial focus on Kenya and Rwanda, to participate in cross-border e-Commerce. At the strategic level, it contributes to deepening the economic integration of Africa, increasing exports from Least Developed Countries (LDC), implementing the Marshall Plan with Africa, the BMZ Aid for Trade Strategy, the BMZ Sector Strategy for Private Sector Development, the BMZ Digitalisation Strategy, and the BMZ "Digital Africa" Initiative. The core problem is that the essential prerequisites for African companies to participate in cross-border electronic trade have not been met, for example the availability of electronic payment systems, the trust of consumers and companies in e-Commerce, as well as beneficial regulatory frameworks. The target groups of the project are owners and employees of Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs), including SMEs run by women, as well as users of e-Commerce platforms in selected African countries, initially in the East African Community (EAC). Industry associations and technology companies act as intermediaries in the EAC. The methodological approach consists in the implementation of measures at pan-African, regional and country levels to improve the conditions for companies from the selected African countries to participate in cross-border e-Commerce. Close cooperation with the international and African economy as well as technical cooperation measures in East Africa in the creation and use of outputs is planned. The main outputs are: (1) The capacities of the private sector for customer-oriented use of e-Commerce have been strengthened in Kenya and Rwanda; (2) Private and public actors are increasingly contributing to the development of regional approaches for cross-border e-Commerce within the EAC; (3) Public and private actors are increasingly contributing to improving the Pan-African framework conditions for e-Commerce.