Ministry of Innovation and Technology announced that added efforts have been exerted to build digital economy.
A delegation led by Minister Dr. Eng. Getahun Mekuria had paid a visit to China’s leading online trading Alibaba Group and participated at the economic forum held in China. The tour targets sharing experiences and installing better platforms to embracing e-commerce in the country.
The Minister discussed with co-founder and executive chair of Alibaba Group Jack Ma.The Minister asked him to provide support towards digitizing Ethiopia’s economy. The Chairman also expressed happiness to provide supports and share his experiences towards promoting digital economy in the country, he indicated.
The Minister also disclosed that digitizing the economy is one of the major agendas of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD). Approached by The Ethiopian Herald economy analyst and Executive Director of the Pan African Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PACCI), since 2013, Kebour Ghenna said that productive capacity is the predominant issue to practice and be fruitful with e-commerce.
Having quality and surplus products will lead to effectuate e-commerce, he added. As to him, currently e-commerce is being undertaking through various means of electronic transactions of goods like oil seeds and coffee. As an economist he advises encouraging electronic platform transaction to ease and facilitate business transactions in the country.
“Undertaking the whole transaction process via online marketing mechanisms requires determined policy, infrastructure and other process issues. And the issue of clear policy and directives should be clearly understood towards the blossoming of global e-commerce”, he recommended.
According to him, it is not possible to say that electronic commerce is fully functioning in the country rather the basics of electronic commerce is on a continuing stage to grow. “First of all we should promote our productive capacity to bolster electronic commerce”, he stressed.
Electronic commerce platform, in finance, is an electronic trading platform also known as an online trading platform, is a computer software program that can be used to place orders for financial products over a network with a financial intermediary. While, digital marketing is the marketing of products or services using digital technologies, mainly on the Internet, it also includes mobile phones, display advertising, and any other digital medium.
The Ethiopian Herald, August 25/2019
BY TEWODROS KASSA
