Digital enterprise is budding fast in Africa, but at a different speed in different countries. According to reports, almost 21 million African shoppers facilitated a market drive valued at US$5.7 billion in online sales in 2017, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) revealed.
Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa are reported to have accounted for almost half of Africa’s estimated 21 million online shoppers in 2017. Mauritius was also highly ranked in the E-commerce Index courtesy – due to a large banked population, valued at 90% financial inclusion. This shows how rapid Africa is adopting the Internet.
The index by UNCTAD grades 151 countries globally, including 44 countries across Africa by assessing their keenness for online shopping. This indicator was built on four pointers – bank or mobile money account penetration, internet usage, availability of internet servers and the reliability of postal services.
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Regardless, there is a discrepancy in some major indicators and actual shopping in Africa. Libya, rated 13th in Africa for e-commerce readiness – accounts for the peak proportion of online shoppers on the continent between people aged 15 and above.
It’s also worthy to note that the number of online buyers in Africa has increased to 18% yearly since 2014. The UNCTAD report suggested an extension of mobile and internet access to underserved regions, of government policies to enhance e-commerce and the harmonisation of payment solutions across the board.