Addis Ababa, 19 March 2021, ECA –The Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), will on Saturday 20 March launch a report on the impact of COVID-19 on e-commerce in Africa.
The report shows how the digital economy has changed, with particular attention to digital trade acrosssectors and regions with the aim of providing a better understanding of Africa’s digital economy during the COVID-19 pandemic and how it can form part of the recovery.
The virtual event scheduled for 11 am to 12 noon East African time comes on the sidelines of the annual Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development.
“We arrive at the conclusion that the digital economy can be a powerful catalyst for Africa’s economy with the potential to alleviate many of the economic burdens of COVID-19,” the authors said, adding, “e-commerce and digital trade can serve as a powerful engine for the economic recovery now required.”
The launch will be preceded by a webinar where co-author Guy Futi of Oxford University will examine the impact of the pandemic on e-commerce on the continent.
Also scheduled to speak are Torbjorn Fredriksson, of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Ify Ogo, UN Development Programme (UNDP), Ayman Elsherbiny of the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), and Nanno Mulder of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).
Co-author and ECA expert Jamie MacLeod will be the moderator.
Link to join the webinar: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Kw714ue-RMa7bUKlVdsSkQ
Issued by:
Communications Section
Economic Commission for Africa
PO Box 3001
Addis Ababa
Ethiopia
Tel: +21 11 51 5826
E-mail: eca-info@un.org