2016 ADVISING, EMPOWERING & INSPIRING TRADE

FORUM
Issue 2 INTERNATIONAL TRADE
The digital
economy
 MESSAGE FROM
Transforming lives
through e-solutions
ARANCHA GONZÁLEZ, Executive Director, International Trade Centre
E
ver since the World Wide Web was
conceived at CERN on the Franco-
Swiss border and released into the
public domain in 1993, the internet has
continued to spin out new opportunities
for information and commerce. News has
become instant, we can stream films and
music, and in many parts of the world we
can buy whatever we want from online
retailers.
Online retailing – or e-commerce –
has become a huge market, with global
business-to-consumer (B2C) transactions
expected to total more than US$ 1.5 trillion
in 2016. The global business-to-business
(B2B) e-commerce market is even big-
ger, and is expected to be worth close to
US$7 trillion by 2020.
While some of the most celebrated
e-commerce successes are based in devel-
oped countries, companies in developing
countries are rapidly catching up. Alibaba,
the Chinese online retailing giant, was
founded just over a decade ago and is today
eclipsing many of the traditional online
retailers in terms of sales (see pages 16-17).
In all developing countries, e-commerce
holds tremendous promise for spurring eco-
nomic growth and creating new opportuni-
ties. One only has to look at how Rwanda
is working to create digital platforms to mar-
ket and sell products ‘made in Rwanda’ to
understand that the size of economy of land-
locked countries need not hinder moving in
the direction of digital solutions. By 2018,
Latin America B2B e-commerce is expected
to grow to around US$ 90 billion and Afri-
ca’s B2C e-commerce market is destined to
hit US$ 50 billion. Despite those figures,
Latin America’s is just over 4%, and Africa’s
share of the global e-commerce market is
estimated to be well below 2% suggesting
there is a vast untapped potential in this area.
The International Trade Centre’s (ITC)
work in this area addresses the policy dimen-
sions of e-commerce, the infrastructure
needed to make the digital economy work,
and supporting on the ground e-solutions
transactions. E-commerce – B2C and B2B conditions: all of which appears at first
– will play a key role in eliminating poverty highly opaque and beyond the capacity of
and achieving Goal 1 of the 2030 Agenda small firms operating out of developing
for Sustainable Development. E-commerce countries. And yet once these compliance
makes it easier for small and medium-sized issues are solved the world of e-commerce
enterprises (SMEs) in developing countries begins to open up: financial transactions
to trade across borders. become easier and accounts can be opened
Easier, however, does not equal per- on the world’s biggest marketplaces.
fect. Many challenges remain. A recent Through this exercise we are building
ITC report, Bringing SMEs onto the e-Com- trust between potential buyers and sell-
merce Highway, identified four major chal- ers. By allowing people to touch, feel and
lenges for developing countries to succeed taste products, and confirm they are of high
in the world of online retail: establishing an quality, these customers and sellers become
online presence for business, international ambassadors for greater online trade from
e-payments, international delivery and after- developing countries.
sale services. Step by step, we are tapping the poten-
To help developing countries and their tial of e-commerce to ensure that SMEs in
SMEs improve their e-commerce capacities, developing countries can play a greater part
ITC has teamed up with a range of partners, in this sea-change in global commerce.
including large players such as eBay and Bringing developing country SMEs onto
DHL, as well as smaller specialised firms the e-commerce highway will also speed up
in related fields, such as legal advisory ser- development and bring us closer to eliminat-
vices. In the past year we organized a series ing poverty.
of pop-up stores – dubbed e-Com Souks – in
Switzerland and Rwanda to raise awareness
about goods made in developing countries
such as Cote d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Morocco,
Senegal and Syria (see page 31-32). And at
the end of June, we organized an e-Com-
merce Caravan that travelled from these
countries to Geneva and Zurich.
A major challenge is to overcome the
complexities of handling duties and taxes
and complying with local fiscal and legal
FORUM ISSUE 2 | 2016  | 3

International Trade
Forum focuses on trade
promotion and export
development as part of
ITC’s technical
Co-operation programme
with developing countries
and economies in
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4  | FORUM ISSUE 2 | 2016
Contents
Editor
Jarle Hetland
Writers
Susanna Pak
Marcos Vaena
Matthew Wilson
Copy editor GLOBAL VIEW
Michael Kelley
Design, illustrations NEWS BRIEF....................................................................................................6
and art direction
Kristina Golubic WHY TRADE MATTERS FOR BETTER LIVES...............................................10
Iva Stastny Brosig Erik Solheim, Chairman, Development Assistance Committee,
Printer Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
ITC Digital Printing
NO COUNTRY IS AN ISLAND.....................................................................12
Disclaimer Neven Mimica, European Commissioner for International Cooperation
Views expressed in Trade
Forum are the contributors’
and Development
and do not necessarily
coincide with those of ITC, AGENDA........................................................................................................37
UN or WTO. Designations
employed do not imply the
expression of any opinion on
the part of ITC concerning
the legal status of any
country, territory, city or
area, or of its authorities
or its boundaries; or the
endorsement of any
firm or product.
Publisher
The International Trade
© EC / Seyllou Diallo
Centre is the joint agency of
the World Trade Organization
and the United Nations.
| 12
Cover photo:
ITC / Shutterstock.com
SPECIAL REPORT
MAKING E-COMMERCE WORK FOR ALL ...............................................14
Marcos Vaena, Chief, Enterprise Competitiveness, International Trade Centre
CROSS-BORDER E-COMMERCE HELPS SMEs
REACH GLOBAL MARKETS .......................................................................16
Shi Dongwei, Vice President, Alibaba Group
CREATING AN INCLUSIVE DIGITAL ECONOMY IS VITAL
TO ACHIEVING THE SDGs........................................................................18
Houlin Zhao, Secretary-General, International Telecommunications Union
WHY LABOUR-INTENSIVE BUSINESS IS THE FUTURE.........................20
Marianne Haahr, Director of Global Opportunity Initiative, Sustainia
HARNESSING THE FORCES OF
E-COMMERCE FOR DEVELOPMENT........................................................22
Fabian Staechelin, Manager, Business Development, eBay
DIGITAL ECONOMY UNLOCKS DOORS FOR WOMEN
ENTREPRENEURS IN AFRICA....................................................................24
Jennifer Freedman, International Consultant, International Trade Centre
AFRICA’S DIGITAL AGRICULTURE REVOLUTION.................................25
Jarle Hetland, Editor, International Trade Forum
THREE WAYS TECH WILL UNLEASH AFRICA’S
ECONOMIC POTENTIAL.............................................................................26
Francis Gatare, CEO, Rwanda Development Board
HOW WILL DIGITALIZATION CHANGE AGRICULTURE?.....................28
Achim Walter, Professor of Crop Science, ETH Zurich
 PHOTO FEATURE
© Cecilia Viscarra Moser

|8
THE FACES BEHIND THE PROJECTS

Behind every effort to create value there is a person

aiming to untangle a path to markets and opportunities.

ANALYSIS
© Shutterstock.com

UNLOCKING FDI DEVELOPMENT GAINS

THROUGH FACILITATION..........................................................................33
James Zhan, Director of Investment and Enterprise,
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development

ITC IN ACTION

| 22
SRI LANKA SWEETENS ITS OFFERINGS OF FRUITS,
VEGETABLES FOR EXPORT.......................................................................35
Susanna Pak, Staff Writer, International Trade Centre
© Laurena Arribat / ITC

© Susanna Pak / ITC

| 33 | 35
SPECIAL REPORT PUBLICATIONS

IN LINE WITH GOING ONLINE: USING E-COMMERCE RESOURCES ON TRADE AND EXPORT DEVELOPMENT......................38
TO TAP NEW MARKETS..............................................................................30
Susanna Pak, Staff Writer, International Trade Centre

HOW THE DIGITAL ECONOMY IS IMPROVING WOMEN’S ACCESS

TO GLOBAL MARKETS................................................................................32
Cynthia Balogh, National Program Manager, Women in Global Business

FORUM ISSUE 2 | 2016  | 5

 GLOBAL VIEW

News Brief

OECD says new approach is needed to tackle productivity, inequality challenges

A report by the Organisation for Economic
© OECD
Co-operation and Development (OECD)
finds that declining productivity growth
and rising inequality are some of the
biggest obstacles to improved economic
performance. The Productivity-Inclusiveness
Nexus notes that a mix of cyclical and struc-
tural factors act as hindrances for compa-
nies wishing to implement technological
advancements that would lead to higher
productivity growth.
A cyclical factor highlighted in the report
was the persistently low investment in physi-
cal capital, and on the structural side the
increased dispersion between ‘frontier’ firms
and companies lagging behind in their pro-
ductivity performance. The OECD also noted
that increased inequalities of income, wealth,
well-being and opportunities in the majority
of countries around the world further slowed
the effort to improve individual well-being and
undercut economic productivity potential.

Business leaders call for WTO to address pressing issues for business community
Business leaders on 30 May met with the World on trade-related matters. The Trade Dia-

Trade Organization (WTO) at its Geneva
headquarters to discuss how to better address
current needs of the global business commu-
nity. Among several things, they urged the
WTO to look at how to improve e-commerce,
establish rules to better facilitate services and
investment flows, and enhance the support for
micro, small and medium-sized enterprises.
The event was a part of Trade Dialogues,
a new WTO initiative aimed at providing
stakeholders from the business community
with the opportunity to discuss their concerns
© WTO
logues event brought together over 60 busi-
ness leaders to discuss the challenges and
opportunities they face in conducting trade
operations and to discuss how the WTO can
help in dealing with them. The attendees were
from small and large enterprises, from devel-
oped and developing countries and from a
variety of sectors. The event was held at the
request of the International Chamber of Com-
merce (ICC) and the B20 group of leading
independent business associations from G20
economies. It was facilitated by the WTO.

Kenya to host 14th UNCTAD ministerial conference

The 14th Ministerial Conference of the United Nations Conference on Trade
© UNCTAD

and Development (UNCTAD XIV), themed ‘From Decisions to Actions,’

will be held in Nairobi, Kenya, on 17-22 July. Up to 7,000 participants are
expected to attend the event, including heads of state and of government,
ministers and other prominent players from the business world, academia,
students and civil society.
The event will be the first key United Nations ministerial confer-
ence since the adoption of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda and the 2030
Agenda for Sustainable Development. During the five days several minis-
terial debates and high-level roundtable discussions will focus on how to
achieve an inclusive and equitable global economic environment for trade
and development. Four other events will be held on the sidelines of UNC-
TAD XIV: the World Investment Forum, the Global Commodities Forum, the
Youth Forum and the Civil Society Forum.

6  | FORUM ISSUE 2 | 2016

Aid for Trade continues to attract funding but

commitments are down
While support for programmes targeted at
assisting poorer countries to expand their
participation in global trade continues to be
provided, funding for trade facilitation and
least developed countries (LDCs) fell in 2014,
according to the Organisation for Economic
Co-operation and Development (OECD).
The OECD said during an Aid for Trade
session of the Committee on Trade Develop-
ment on 25 May that contributions for trade
facilitation support fell from US$ 613 million
in 2013 to US$ 362m in 2014, a decline of more
than 40%. The OECD also said the terms of
support had become less accommodating
© ITC
for LCDs, with 55% now being offered in the
form of loans rather than in grants. An expla-
nation for the drop in commitments could
be that several donors are in the process
of revising their Aid for Trade strategies.
The European Union will not have a new
strategy ready before the beginning of 2017.
On the other hand, actual disbursements
of total aid commitments have had continued
growth every year of between 5% and 10%. doing so due to the United Nations Sustain-
Aid commitments for private sector develop- able Development Goals, which encour-
ment, in particular for energy generation and age partnerships with the private sector.
productive capacity building, have risen the The OECD said that LDCs still receive the
last couple of years and are likely to continue highest amount of aid per capita.

United Nations calls for LDCs to be at the forefront of sustainable development

of Action (IPoA) for the Least Developed Risk Reduction and the Paris Agreement on
© United Nations

Countries (LDCs) that took place in Turkey
in late May.
The three-day meeting, co-organized
by the Government of Turkey and the United
Nations Office of the High Representative for
the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked
Developing Countries and Small Island
Developing States, reviewed the progress of
48 LDCs in sustainable development since
the adoption of the IPoA in 2011.
A call for greater support and concrete Several of the suggestions for new imple-
actions for the world’s most vulnerable mentations were based on actions items from
nations were among the outcomes of the the 2030 Agenda, the Addis Ababa Action
Midterm Review of the Istanbul Programme Agenda, the Sendai Framework for Disaster
Climate Change. New initiatives such as the
establishment of a governing council for the
Technology Bank for LDCs to support their
access to and increased use of science,
technology and innovation were launched.
Other initiatives and programmes focused
on enhancing LDC access to duty-free and
quota-free markets and offer favourable con-
ditions that ensures that more exports items
qualify for preferential treatment. Increased
commitments to boost Aid for Trade and
enhance the role of the UN in supporting
LDCs to attract higher inflows of foreign
direct investment were also emphasized.

Africa’s economic transformation hinges on

© Shutterstock.com

unlocking potential of cities, report says

Africa’s future growth and development
depends on how it urbanizes, according to
the African Economic Outlook 2016. The
annual publication of the African Develop-
ment Bank also argues that the continent’s
economic performance remained resilient
against global tumors and regional shocks
in 2015.
The report warns that future eco-
nomic growth and potential could be
hindered by inadequate attention to the
need of sufficient urban planning poli-
cies and investments. The combination
of rapid urbanization and an unprece-
dented demographic boom is putting an
extra pressure on the role of urban policy
planning to unlock the cities’ economic
potential and to secure the continent’s
sustainable development. As of now, two-
thirds of the needed urban infrastructure
investments up until 2050 is still lacking,
the report says.

FORUM ISSUE 2 | 2016  | 7

 PHOTO SPECIAL
The faces behind the projects
MATTHEW WILSON, Chef de Cabinet, International Trade Centre
Development aid works best when it gets up close and personal
A t its very heart, trade-related assistance is about investing in
four Ps: people, processes, policies and productivity. Behind
every intervention, every project, every dollar spent, there is
a human face.
With Aid for Trade levelling out, traditional aid budgets
strained and some questioning the impact of assistance in build-
ing trade capacity, it is important to remember that face. To be
truly sustainable, Aid for Trade has to do more than propose quick
fixes. It has to get to the knot of the problem and untie that which
creates inefficiencies or stifles productive potential. Sometimes
the outcome is immediate, but more often the impact is long term
and sometimes generational.
Behind every project there is a face. There is Marey in Papua
New Guinea working on bilum bag weaving; there is Odion from
Benin harvesting cashew nuts; there is Awino in Kenya working
on climate resilient tea farming; there is Chanda in Cambodia
weaving silk using traditional methods; Farhana in Bangladesh is
8  | FORUM ISSUE 2 | 2016
© Cecilia Viscarra Moser, all photos.
developing IT products; Mafi in Ethiopia is creating international
fashion designs. Supporting them are hundreds of people and their
families. The long-term impact may be challenging to quantify but
investing in them today is to create change agents for the future.
These photographs are examples of some International Trade
Centre projects on the ground. They portray projects having
impact on the lives of people by untangling the path to market,
providing opportunities and building resilience.
1. Adding value to cashew nuts in Benin. 6. Ethical fashion to the fashion market.
2. Preparing pineapples for juicing in 7. Adding value to the Caribbean
Benin. coconut industry.
3. Freshly pressed pineapple juice, Benin. 8. Streamlining the agri-processing value
4. Hub of the Ethical Fashion Initiative chain in Fiji.
(EFI) in Nairobi, Kenya. 9. Improving quality of pashmina in
5. Thread spools used by Palestinian Nepal.
women designers.
FORUM ISSUE 2 | 2016  | 9
 GLOBAL VIEW

Why trade matters for better lives

ERIK SOLHEIM, Chairman, Development Assistance Committee, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

Trade plays a major part for any country that wants to raise
its standards and lift its population out of poverty

O penness to trade and investment is

a key ingredient for generating eco-
nomic growth and ultimately leads
to better lives for men and women across
the globe. We have seen it happen in many
countries the past decades, for example in
China and South Korea. Today Ethiopia is
among the countries going through a similar
experience.
The country’s first textile mill was
established nearly 80 years ago but, until
recently, it has not been able to develop a
viable textile export industry. However,
with a growing workforce and the need for
new jobs, the Government of Ethiopia has
taken major steps to promote investment in
the sector. A range of trade agreements now
offer trade benefits and Ethiopian enter-
prises have better access to regional and
global markets as a result.
Today Ethiopia is rapidly becoming an
attractive location for textile manufactur-
ing as a result of competitive labour costs,
government incentives, and low energy
costs. Companies such as Swedish retailer
Hennes & Mauritz (H&M), British super-
market firm Tesco and American companies
such as Gap, Belk and Wal-Mart are now
sourcing textile products from the coun-
try. In fact, H&M, the International Labour
Organization and the Swedish International
Development Cooperation Agency have
launched an industrial relations project aim-
ing to improve the development of a socially
sustainable textile and garment industry in
Ethiopia. It is the outspoken goal of the Ethi-
opian government to be a ‘leading country
in light manufacturing in Africa, which will
lay the foundation for heavy and high tech
industries by 2025’.
Increased trade plays a big part in the
development of any country. China has lifted
more than 600 million people out of poverty
since it opened up in the late 1970s and
surged ahead to become the world’s larg-
est exporter. Young South Koreans are 390
times richer than their grandparents were,
the emergence of global companies such as

© UNIDO

10  | FORUM ISSUE 2 | 2016

Increased trade plays a big part in
the development of any country.
China has lifted more than 600 million
people out of poverty since it
opened up in the late 1970s and
surged ahead to become the world’s
largest exporter.
automaker Hyundai and electronics giant
Samsung explaining some of the growth.
There is still much progress to be made.
Global incomes could be increased by US$
400 billion annually simply by improving trade
rules. High trade costs prevent a large number
of developing countries from fully exploiting
opportunities the global market offers.
MARGINALIZED
Landlocked, remote and small economies
are marginalized by costs that tend to reflect
geography, not capacity. Producers in low-
income countries are often competitive at
the farm and factory gate but are usually
priced out of the international market. More
often than not this is a result of cumbersome
border procedures, poor infrastructure,
a lack of finance and complex standards.
It was in response to these issues that
the Organisation for Economic Co-operation
and Development (OECD) and the World
Trade Organization (WTO) launched the Aid
for Trade initiative 10 years ago. Its impact
of has been largely positive: firms have been
enabled to develop new products, increase
exports and cut costs.
Aid for Trade has helped create jobs,
improve workers’ skills and working condi-
tions, and led to improved environmental
performance. A 2013 OECD study showed
that US$ 1 invested in Aid for Trade gener-
ates US$ 8 worth of trade for all developing
countries and US$ 20 for low income coun-
tries. The same study showed that female
workers are empowered by trade liberaliza-
tion, which often leads to more work places
for women. These are impressive returns on
investment.
Development aid is also an important
source of funding for least developed coun-
tries. However, economic growth alone will
not be enough to eradicate poverty even if
all African countries grew Chinese-style at
10% for the next 15 years. To end poverty
we need specific policies targeting the most
vulnerable countries and people.
The total amount of development aid
reached a new high in 2015. Despite con-
tinuing economic woes in many OECD
countries and the refugee crisis in Europe,
total aid reached US$ 131.6 billion. Addi-
tional development aid from China, Arab
states and Latin American countries helped
make that achievement possible
FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT
At the same time foreign direct investment
is five times greater than development
assistance. However, even more private
investments are needed for clean energy,
manufacturing plants and greener agricul-
ture. Some US$ 20 billion is expected to be
invested around the world every year over
the next 15 years. No doubt, billions of dol-
lars spent on development assistance each
year will have a greater impact if coupled
with private investments in green develop-
ment and trade in poor countries.
Almost a million Africans join the
labour market every month and only private
investment can provide the jobs needed.
Development assistance can be used to
reduce risk and mobilize private invest-
ments. Guarantees, soft loans and equity
investments funded by development aid can
help attract investors to Ethiopia’s growing
textile industry.
The beginning of a new railway con-
necting landlocked Burundi, Rwanda, South
Sudan and Uganda with the Kenyan port
town of Mombasa is a great example. The
© Wu Zhiyi / World Bank
Chinese-funded project will cut transport
costs in half, increase regional trade and
improve access to port and global trade for
four landlocked East African countries.
The same factors that contribute to
higher trade costs also inhibit regional
integration. In just five years, exports from
Colombia, Mexico and the Central Ameri-
can countries increased by 50% as a result
of regional efforts to improve infrastructure
and regulatory frameworks.
Trade initiatives are most effective
when developing countries work together
and donors support their efforts. Cutting
costs through trade facilitation and Aid for
Trade will contribute to better and faster
development.
Building capacity for trade is an ongo-
ing process. We are the first generation in
human history with the knowledge and
resources to end poverty and promote sus-
tainable development. We need to make
sure that aid money is invested in develop-
ing countries in a sustainable way. But the
best thing we can do for people and the
planet is to identify and copy policies that
actually improve lives.
Note: Since this article was written, Erik Solheim has
been appointed Executive Director of the United
Nations Environment Programme.
1. Ethiopia is rapidly becoming an attractive location for
manufacturing as a result of competitive labour costs.
2. Shanghai seen at night from the Huangpu River.
FORUM ISSUE 2 | 2016  | 11
 GLOBAL VIEW
No country is an island
NEVEN MIMICA, European Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development
© EC / Seyllou Diallo
The win-win of strong trade partnerships between the European Union
and developing countries
A
t a time of globalization and rapidly
changing economies, the European
Union (EU) can only be as strong as its
partners, which is why well-founded trade
relationships are of crucial importance.
However, if we want to continue to alleviate
poverty, eliminate hunger, improve work-
ing conditions and boost economic growth
worldwide, we need to direct our focus to
developing countries.
Leaving no one behind is at the core
of the Sustainable Development Goals and
this objective can only be achieved if we
fully use the potential of trade to support
sustainable economic growth. The pri-
vate sector is a driving force for economic
growth, providing approximately 90% of
12  | FORUM ISSUE 2 | 2016
jobs in developing countries and making
it a vital ally in the fight against poverty.
The EU has been assessing how it
can improve its trade relationships with
countries worldwide and engage the pri-
vate sector. To address this challenge, the
European Commission in October 2015
launched a new trade strategy – Trade
for All – a new approach to make Euro-
pean trade policy more effective and more
transparent.
TRADE FOR ALL
For developing countries, the strategy
aims to transform trade agreements and
trade preference programmes into efficient
tools to promote fair and ethical trade and
sustainable development. Through Trade for
All, the EU seeks to support development
by enabling countries to better integrate into
regional and global value chains.
The new strategy will allow us to revisit
trade negotiations and to develop the means
to put those principles into practice. It allows
for new initiatives and opportunities in Africa,
the Asia-Pacific region and Latin America.
European cooperation is crucial in
improving trade in developing countries.
As the biggest economy, trade player and
investor in the world, it is critical that the
EU continues to support developing coun-
tries as partners on their path to sustainable
development, economic success and inde-
pendence.
 The EU’s trade-related development

© EC / Fiona Goodall
cooperation is funded by a number of
sources. Up until 2011 its Aid for Trade
commitments amounted to some €18.7
billion (US$21.2 billion). These funds
have been allocated through geographical
instruments such as the European Devel-
opment Fund (in the African, Caribbean
and Pacific countries), the Development
Cooperation Instrument (in Asia, Latin
America and South Africa), and the Euro-
pean Neighbourhood and Partnership
Instrument (in the neighbouring regions
of the EU).
In addition, a number of thematic pro-
grammes have been implemented which
focused on addressing issues other than geo-
graphical cooperation. In short, the EU and
its member states remain collectively, and
by a large margin, the world’s most signifi- Sri Lanka is another country with which
cant Aid for Trade donor. The EU’s trade support for developing the EU has longstanding development coop-
countries goes beyond sheer financial eration. This was reinforced by announcing
PREFERENTIAL ACCESS aid. There is a long and fruitful new support programmes. One of them
The EU’s trade support for developing
tradition of granting preferential will be a €8m trade-related technical assis-
access to exports from developing
countries goes beyond sheer financial tance project to stimulate inclusive trade-
countries to European markets.
aid. There is a long and fruitful tradition led growth and regional integration. Such
of granting preferential access to exports assistance will facilitate Sri Lankan integra-
from developing countries to European The EU has a long-term cooperation tion into regional and global trading systems
markets. This encourages specific types of with the African, Caribbean and Pacific and help the country develop more efficient
exports, stimulating economic activity and (ACP) countries, which received total of trade policies, improve competitiveness and
development. €247 million for trade and private-sector comply with international standards.
This approach has proven beneficial development through the 10th European These projects represent but a quick
to developing countries, according to the Development Fund (EDF). EU collaboration look behind the curtain of long-lasting EU
2015 study ‘Assessment of economic ben- with ACP countries continues under the trade partnerships and commitments to
efits generated by the EU trade regimes 11th EDF, through which the EU supports developing countries. Supporting develop-
towards developing countries’, which regional programmes with €3.3 billion, ing countries on their path to sustainable
looked at the economic benefits generated largely targeted to support regional eco- economies is not only a matter of financial
by the EU trade regimes for developing nomic integration. Another €600m are set assistance, it is a solid pillar in consolidating
countries. The study confirms that the EU aside for intra-ACP support to private-sector partnerships that will benefit both sides for
market is crucial for developing countries, development and investment. years to come.
with 42% of total imports from develop- A telling example is Paraguay. The EU The ongoing preparations to revise
ing countries to the EU27 in 2012. It also will support the South American country the European Consensus on Development
reveals that the EU is the largest market for with €168m in the 2014-2020 period, of Policy and to redesign our relationship with
imports from the least developed countries which €20m were allocated to private-sec- the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries
(LDCs), with 60% of total imports from the tor development and trade. This support is offer an opportunity to further improve the
LDCs going to the EU. meant to increase economic diversification coherence between development and trade
The study reveals a double positive and foster inclusive growth, in particular policy. We should seize this opportunity to
impact of EU trade policy towards develop- to support government efforts to create keep what is working and change what can
ing countries, which showed a significant a competitive private sector by support- be improved.
increase in their exports as well as in their ing small and medium-sized enterprises
economic diversification. It comes perhaps with strong export potential. In addition,
as no surprise that this is even stronger for we are also assisting Paraguay’s economic 1. A youngster hones his electrical skills at an EU-funded
LDCs, one of the reasons the EU’s Agenda integration to improve its external trade project for street children in Dakar, Senegal.
for Change targets the most needy countries performance by simplifying customs pro- 2. European Commissioner for International Cooperation
while focusing on sectors with the biggest cedures and overcoming technical barriers and Development Neven Mimica visits Vanuatu
potential impact. to trade. Agricultural Research and Technical Centre.

FORUM ISSUE 2 | 2016  | 13

 SPECIAL REPORT
Making e-commerce work for all
MARCOS VAENA, Chief, Enterprise Competitiveness, International Trade Centre
Pooling resources, logistics can help small and
medium-sized enterprises expand their reach
T
he rise of affordable and accessible
technology has transformed con-
sumer behaviour in recent years.
Engaging in online transactions is today
commonplace across the world. From
checking your bank account balance
to paying bills and ordering groceries,
e-commerce has transformed the way
consumers and businesses engage with
each other. For the citizens of developed
countries e-commerce is becoming busi-
ness as usual. Online retail is estimated by
the Centre for Retail Research to account
for 13% of consumer spending in the
United States of America, around 10% in
Europe and much more in some countries.
Business-to-business sales are estimated to
be as much as fifteen times as large.
By any measure e-commerce is big
business. For example, by 2018 Africa’s
e-commerce market is projected to soar to
US$ 50 billion from US$ 8 billion in 2013.
It also represents a major change in the
way trade is conducted and offers great
potential to contribute to the Sustainable
Development Goals. However, developing
countries are not yet taking full advan-
tage of this opportunity. For instance, best
estimates put the current share of African
enterprises in international e-commerce
below 2%, a share which could and should
be much higher.
E-COMMERCE
MISPERCEPTIONS
Contrary to the perception that all e-com-
merce markets are open, African small and
medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are often
simply barred from listing products or sign-
ing up to payment solutions on international
platforms. Many therefore take ill-advised
14  | FORUM ISSUE 2 | 2016
shortcuts. Some attempt to bypass foreign
ownership or payment restrictions by rely-
ing on banking arrangements of family or
friends. Novice firms often ship their prod-
ucts with no regard to fiscal or legal require-
ments in the target market.
These shortcuts result in disappoint-
ingly short-lived trade as public authori-
ties and platforms move to shut down the
business and customers reject goods deliv-
ered with unanticipated taxes and duties,
destroying any profitability and reputation
the small firm may have had.
These apparently simple barriers are
compounded by a lack of affordable technol-
ogies, services and affordable international
transportation, resulting in the low levels
of presence of African firms in international
e-commerce.
A recent publication by the Interna-
tional Trade Centre (ITC), International
e-Commerce in Africa: The Way Forward,
provides additional references on the com-
mon concerns faced by African SMEs as
well as key recommendations on actions
by both the public and private sectors to
help overcome some of these barriers.
STRONGER TOGETHER
Working individually, small enterprises are
at a cost disadvantage. By bringing them
together it is possible to eliminate or alle-
viate a number of barriers. We have seen
instances where this has been used very
effectively to open up new possibilities for
vendors in Africa: ITC is supporting the
establishment of collectively owned and
managed structures as a foundation of our
© Shutterstock.com
work to promote greater participation of
SMEs from developing countries in cross-
border e-commerce.
Working together, enterprises can
share international transportation
costs by consolidating outbound
shipments and gaining leverage
for negotiating more attractive
transportation rates..
First, transportation costs must be
addressed. Many of the African goods that
could find a natural market among consum-
ers in Europe, such as handicrafts, decorative
and fashion items, and health and cosmetic
products, typically have unit sales prices
which do not justify the costs of direct inter-
national transportation. International express
transportation is under-developed and costly
and postal services remain relatively expen-
sive and are perceived as unreliable.
Working together, enterprises can share
international transportation costs by con-
solidating outbound shipments and gain-
ing leverage for negotiating more attractive
transportation rates. In addition, a greater
volume of goods opens other possibilities
in the target market, such as the potential
to use fulfilment services, which can offer
the consumer next-day delivery and handle
issues such as returns.
Customer service – and especially the
ability to handle requests in foreign lan-
guages – can be a particular problem. It is
an easily overlooked requirement that con-
sumers on the internet expect a merchant
to handle requests in their native language
and to react quickly and positively. This may
not be easy for an African vendor with lim-
ited resources and experience of conducting
trade with international consumers.
One solution is to pool resources
between enterprises – and to implement
outsourced customer service handling – as
a shared cost. This is entirely possible in the
age of offshore cloud-based solutions: out-
sourcing is not the unique preserve of mul-
tinationals and in this instance can be at the
service of SMEs from developing and least
developed countries.
Equally, by working together enter-
prises can share the costs of registering and
managing foreign business entities, enabling
transparent and efficient repatriation of
earnings while opening up the possibility to
list their products on new marketplaces.
Techniques developed to support the
globalization of large firms are increasingly
© Shutterstock.com
within the reach of small enterprises in transformation rate – the share of website
developing countries thanks to advances in visitors who purchase goods.
digital tools and increased affordability of With the initial promising results
related services. achieved by the Made in Morocco model,
current discussions are underway to repli-
E-SOLUTIONS cate this model in other African countries
To address these needs, ITC has developed including Rwanda, Senegal and Ethiopia.
and piloted a series of modules in the form
of training and specific technologies as well THE WAY AHEAD
as shared services delivered by partners There is a growing consensus among devel-
that can address most of the barriers. Taken opment actors that a greater level of coordi-
together, these modules provide e-solutions nation and support is urgently required for
to the challenges of conducting interna- SMEs to benefit from the opportunities of
tional trade through digital channels. e-commerce.
The full suite of services was deployed Further, UNCTAD, ITC and a number of
in Morocco in 2015. In January, a group other international agencies and private-sec-
of Moroccan SMEs using e-commerce to tor partners have worked together to produce
sell products domestically got together and a call for action on ‘Aid for eTrade’, which
formed an export cooperative called Made aims to unite efforts in a mission to facilitate
in Morocco. The firms, whose wares ranged greater participation in digital trade.
from olive oil and cosmetics to books and Aid for eTrade is a multi-stakeholder
music, asked ITC for help boost access to initiative that aims to improve the ability of
– and competitiveness in – foreign markets. developing countries to use and benefit from
A multi-pronged approach was taken. On e-commerce by scaling up collaboration. It is
the payments side, a formal commercial pres- a demand-driven mechanism in which lead-
ence was established in Europe, the United ing development partners cooperate with
States of America and the United Arab Emir- the private sector to pool capabilities and
ates to enable the cooperative to correctly resources.
handle import duties and domestic taxes. The rise of e-commerce presents a
On logistics, ITC worked with global pro- unique opportunity to make trade work for
vider DHL to work out the most cost effec- all. Our vision at ITC is one where small
tive method of international transportation. firms in developing and least developed
Following this intervention, several countries have access to advanced solutions.
members of the cooperative have sold goods That way they can sell through international
in Europe for the first time. The collective market places transparently and efficiently
is growing and now includes more than and are able to retain a significant part of the
400 SMEs. Made in Morocco has sharply international value creation in the country
increased export sales and has tripled its of origin.
FORUM ISSUE 2 | 2016  | 15
 SPECIAL REPORT

Cross-border e-commerce helps

SMEs reach global markets
SHI DONGWEI, Vice President, Alibaba Group

© Christopher Penler

Changing the face of cross-border trade by prioritizing small

and medium-sized enterprises

J
unpu is a small village of 3,000 resi-
dents in China’s southern province
of Guangdong, which was very poor
before the fast development of e-commerce
in China. Today, more than two-thirds of
the residents make their living on Taobao,
China’s largest e-commerce site, selling
local produces and other popular products
to domestic and international customers
through more than 3,000 online stores oper-
ated from the village. The village also has
a ‘Taobao Academy’ providing training to
aspiring young people who have just started
their online businesses.
This phenomenon is not limited to
Junpu. By the end of 2015 China had some
780 Junpu-style ’Taobao villages’ across the
country, which is defined as any place where
10% of the population is engaged in online
retailing and generating at least 10 million
yuan (US$ 41.5 million) annually in online
sales. E-commerce has brought tremendous
changes to these rural areas, many of which
were previously isolated from urban markets
because of the lack of channels to advertise
and deliver local products to consumers.
Through Taobao’s integrated solutions, the

16  | FORUM ISSUE 2 | 2016


To help overcome challenges of
access to finance, Alibaba provides
SMEs operating on its e-commerce
platforms with microloans.
untapped potential was matched with the
demands from domestic and international
markets, bringing revenue and growth to
once economically underprivileged areas.
Just like Taobao’s e-commerce helped
millions of village residents to connect to
urban customers, cross-border e-commerce,
an emerging form of international trade
facilitated by e-commerce and big data, may
provide greater opportunities for companies
and individuals in developing countries and
least developed countries to connect to the
customers beyond their national borders.
UNDERESTIMATED MARKET
Cross-border e-commerce is perhaps the
fastest growing segment of global trade,
growing from practically zero two decades
ago to an estimated US$ 1.92 trillion glob-
ally by the end of 2016. This is only a frac-
tion compared with the size of the domestic
e-commerce markets in many countries. For
instance, online retail now accounts for 13%
of consumer spending in the United States
of America and around 10% in Europe. In
China, domestic e-commerce was estimated
at US$ 2.8 trillion in 2015. As market con-
ditions and regulatory framework improve,
cross-border e-commerce has the potential
to become a prominent form of international
trade, particularly for the consumer prod-
ucts with diverse demands.
EASY BUSINESS
Alibaba Group, which owns Taobao, oper-
ates with a mission: make it easy to do busi-
ness anywhere. Small and medium-sized
enterprises (SMEs) have always been at
the heart of Alibaba’s operations. It strives
to make international business for SMEs as
simple and cost-efficient as possible. It has
built a comprehensive ecosystem for SME
e-commerce and the services cover virtually
all key areas essential for SMEs, including
financing options, payment, shipping, deliv-
ery choices and logistics solutions.
Alibaba strives to help SMEs to scale up
and grow. For instance, to help overcome
challenges of access to finance, Alibaba
As market conditions and regulatory
framework improve, cross-border
e-commerce has the potential
to become a prominent form of
international trade.
provides SMEs operating on its e-commerce
platforms with microloans. To help increase
trust between suppliers and buyers, the com-
pany launched a free product called Trade
Assurance. According to the previous authen-
tic trade records, Alibaba could provide an
amount of assurance up to US$ 1 million for
the Chinese suppliers on its platforms. If the
supplier fails to ship the products on time or
the product quality does not meet the stand-
ards set in the contract, Alibaba will directly
refund the payment made by the buyers
within the amount of trade assurance. This
can provide a lot of confidence and protec-
tion to the overseas buyers.
Alibaba’s vision is to build the future
infrastructure of commerce. In coming dec-
ades the company will contribute towards
building a global e-commerce market with-
out boundaries. Therefore, it is actively
pushing for better policies for global trade.
The implementation of the Trade Facilitation
Agreement by the World Trade Organization
and its members will significantly reduce the
trade costs for SMEs. Alibaba is also calling
for the establishment of an Electronic World
© Maxxa Satori
Trade Platform, or e-WTP, in the context
of the G20 to facilitate the public-private
dialogue with the policy makers for better
business environment for SMEs engaged in
cross-border e-commerce.
As Jack Ma, the founder of Alibaba
Group, has said, the company only does well
when the SMEs on its platforms do well. As
the group globalizes, it is taking its commit-
ment to SMEs growth beyond China’s bor-
ders. Junpu’s Taobao Academy now regularly
receives delegations from foreign countries to
provide trainings to SMEs around the world
on how to do business on Taobao. The group
has recently launched a SMILE (small and
medium industries leveraging export) plat-
form in India that provides trading solutions
such as financing, logistics, inspections and
certifications, and training for SMEs.
Cross-border e-commerce is the future
of the global trade and Alibaba stands ready
to help SMEs catch that wave and expand
business globally.
1. Alibaba’s shares began trading on the New York Stock
Exchange in 2014.
2. What shall we buy today?
FORUM ISSUE 2 | 2016  | 17
 SPECIAL REPORT

Creating an inclusive digital economy

is vital to achieving the SDGs
HOULIN ZHAO, Secretary-General, International Telecommunications Union

Information and communication technologies are already improving

peoples’ lives, but their potential can help us build an even better world

S
ince the birth of the World Wide Web
in 1990 the world has witnessed the
beginning of an extraordinary fourth
wave of industrialization. Information and
communication technologies (ICTs) from
computers and smartphones to mobile apps,
networked smart sensors, web-enabled
drones and cars now pervade the personal
and professional lives of those living in the
industrialized world.
At the International Telecommunica-
tions Union (ITU), the United Nations spe-
cialized agency for ICTs, we celebrate the
fact that more than 3.2 billion people are
connected to previously unimaginable pos-

© Pablo La Rosa / UNDP

sibilities. ICTs are already helping people
make better-informed decisions, providing
access to education resources and health
information and creating new organically
grown networks of information and influ-
ence around issues that matter.
According to Connecting the World:
Ten Mechanisms for Global Inclusion,
a new report from social media firm Face-
book and financial services company PwC,
providing internet access to the 4.1 billion
people in the world who do not yet have it
would increase global economic output by
US$ 6.7 trillion and lift 500 million people
out of poverty.
The Global e-Sustainability Initiative,
an NGO focusing on ICTs for a sustain-
able future, estimates US$ 6.5 trillion of
additional revenues will flow from ICT-
enabled services in 2030. It also predicts
ICT-enabled services from other sectors will
contribute an additional US$ 4.5 trillion of
revenues from increased agricultural yields,
Entrepreneurs and SMEs provide up
to 70% of global employment and we
need their expertise, innovation and
investment to achieve common goals
of sustainable economic and social
development.
expanded e-commerce offerings and smart
energy solutions. Increasing use of ICTs
could also cut total economic costs across
sectors by US$ 4.9 trillion.
Early success stories are already com-
ing out of the developing world, where
smartphone capabilities are now being used
in applications ranging from detecting and
mapping disease outbreaks, to the prolifera-
tion of educational resources, to platforms
for economic empowerment such as e-com-
merce and mobile banking.
Three areas in particular are providing
good reason for optimism around the poten-
tial for ICTs to overcome long-standing devel-
opment challenges – the Internet of Things
(IoT), digital financial services (DFS) and
small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
In the industrialized world, IoT – the
growing number of connected devices

18  | FORUM ISSUE 2 | 2016

ranging from computers and smartphones
to simple sensors and radio frequency
identification chips – is already extensively
deployed in stock and inventory systems,
fleet management, environmental monitor-
ing and industrial processes.
ITU’s report on ICTs, ‘Trends in Tel-
ecommunications Reform 2015,’ noted that
over one billion wireless IoT devices were
already shipped in 2015, with as many as 25
billion networked devices predicted to be
connected by 2020 – making IoT the largest
ICT device market worldwide.
This could be great news for developing
economies. A recent joint report by ITU and
global technology company Cisco, ‘Harness-
ing the Internet of Things for Global Devel-
opment,’ gives concrete examples of how
IoT could have a major impact in areas such
as grassroots delivery of health care and edu-
cation, positively transforming communities
within a time frame that would have been
unimaginable just a few years ago.
In terms of deployment, strong demand
for IoT technologies in developed countries
has created a huge array of IoT devices that
are readily available, affordable and scal-
able. The basic infrastructure to support IoT
(Wi-Fi, internet cafés etc.) is already in place
in many developing communities.
IoT devices are well-adapted for use in
rugged, remote and inhospitable environ-
ments and many devices already offer very
simple functionality that does not require
skilled technicians for installation or mainte-
nance. For example, reduced and alternate
power supplies, such as solar, can maintain
sensors and networks where there is no con-
sistent electricity supply.
Global interoperability between devices
will be key to leveraging IoT’s full potential.
To this end ITU’s Telecommunication Stand-
ardization Sector has set up a new ITU-T
Study Group, ‘Study Group 20: IoT and its
applications, including smart cities and com-
munities.’
DFS matters, too. Keep in mind that an
estimated 2 billion adults worldwide have
no access to even basic banking services,
representing a major barrier to socio-eco-
nomic development. In today’s connected
world, however, we can start to leverage
near-universal access to mobile phones as a
basic platform for financial transactions, rep-
resenting a fast, easy, cost-effective way of
NO ZERO GOOD HEALTH
POVERTY HUNGER AND WELL-BEING
AFFORDABLE AND DECENT WORK AND INDUSTRY, INNOVATION
CLEAN ENERGY ECONOMIC GROWTH AND INFRASTRUCTURE
CLIMATE LIFE LIFE
ACTION BELOW WATER ON LAND
putting financial services within reach of all
the world’s people. ITU is working to bring
ICT and financial service regulators together
with industry to develop a common inter-
national framework for DFS to facilitate the
development and deployment of easy-to-use
new services while ensuring vulnerable peo-
ple are protected.
Considerable work must be done to
realize that goal. Regulatory gaps that need
addressing include ensuring a level play-
ing field for new service providers; number
and data portability to promote consumer
choice; guaranteeing gender-inclusive
access; creating consumer safeguards; and
harmonization of regulations. Substantial
technical challenges such as safeguarding
network and user protocols; developing
simple, effective online payment platforms;
counteracting digital fraud to mitigate risk;
and promoting return on investment to
encourage healthy market competition must
also be overcome.
To fully realize the benefits in terms of
social and economic progress of bringing the
more than 4 billion people with no inter-
net access into the online world, we must
continue leveraging the power of public pri-
vate partnerships and the huge potential of
SMEs. Today’s ICT ecosystem is increasingly
being driven by grassroots entrepreneurship,
delivering local solutions to tackle local chal-
lenges. Entrepreneurs and SMEs provide up
to 70% of global employment and we need
their expertise, innovation and investment
QUALITY GENDER CLEAN WATER
EDUCATION EQUALITY AND SANITATION
REDUCED SUSTAINABLE CITIES RESPONSIBLE
INEQUALITIES AND COMMUNITIES CONSUMPTION
AND PRODUCTION
PEACE, JUSTICE PARTNERSHIPS
AND STRONG FOR THE GOALS
INSTITUTIONS
to achieve common goals of sustainable eco-
nomic and social development.
Governments around the world recog-
nize this and many are now actively promot-
ing national innovation and entrepreneurial
hubs with the aim of creating a vibrant start-
up culture.
However, we still need to address
a huge gap in funding, skills, tools and
knowledge. Almost one-third of the world’s
venture capital is concentrated in the San
Francisco Bay area. This very small part of
northern California matches venture capi-
tal investments in the whole of China and
Europe combined.
As Secretary-General of ITU, I want
to ensure that we use our experience and
global network to support the evolving ICT
ecosystem, including government-funded
tech parks, university incubators and start-
up accelerators so that SMEs in emerging
economies can more easily grow and scale
their business and access new market oppor-
tunities.
ITU will continue to work with our
membership in supporting these endeavours
to achieve widespread digital social innovation
and promote ICT entrepreneurship for social
impact to create a better world for all.
1. ICTs can provide better education for children across
the world.
FORUM ISSUE 2 | 2016  | 19
 SPECIAL REPORT

Why labour-intensive business

is the future of job creation
MARIANNE HAAHR, Director of Global Opportunity Initiative, Sustainia

© Georgina Goodwin / M-Kopa

Technological innovation can lead to an increas in related employment

T
he battle against unemployment con-
tinues to rage and nowhere more so
than in developing economies. There is
good reason for that. For example, in Africa
more youths will enter the labour market
in the next 15 years than in the rest of the
world combined. Systemic change is needed
to reverse the trend of jobless growth by
shifting focus from labour to resource pro-
ductivity to re-design employment markets
fit for the 21st century.
Increasing labour productivity has been
the focus of policymakers and business leaders
alike for decades. The aim is to produce more
goods and services with fewer hours worked.
Innovations also tend to focus on increasing
labour productivity and as a result we are rac-
ing towards an era we could define as ‘post-
job.’ Robots and machines demand no salary;
only electricity is needed for their work. In
short, business has been incentivized to elimi-
nate jobs when we need them more than ever.
The Global Opportunity Report, by
DNV GL, the United Nations Global Com-
pact and Sustainia, shows leaders around
the world view unemployment as the most
pressing global risk – but when presented
with 15 different opportunities for cor-
porate action the majority of respondents
rated opportunities for job creation as those
with the most promising impacts potential.
It points to a readiness to re-think business for
job creation. The recently published Sustainia

20  | FORUM ISSUE 2 | 2016


There is an urgent need to re-think
construction and urban planning as
untapped tools for job creation and
sustainable production.
100 offers examples of businesses already
doing so while using resources sustainably
and thereby operationalizing global goals as
they relate to good jobs and economic growth.
It also points to some bigger business trends.
OFF-GRID SOLUTIONS
Half the global population could be best served
with pay-as-you-go solar technology for energy
instead of grid-based services. This certainly
applies to Africa, where consumers at the bot-
tom of the income pyramid are best served by
off-grid solutions. An example of a company
providing this kind of opportunity is M-Kopa,
an East Africa-based enterprise delivering off-
grid solar energy to financially vulnerable com-
munities. Household solar kits are acquired for
a US$ 30 deposit. After 365 daily payments for
less than the daily cost of kerosene, the buyer
owns their own solar system and becomes his
or her own energy producer.
The business model of M-Kopa is labour
intensive because once consumers acquire
ownership of their solar kit, the relation-
ship between M-Kopa and the consumer
shifts from product to service. Consum-
ers are offered around-the-clock assistance
with their solar kits, which consequently
demands high labour inputs. This business
model is trickling up from Africa to Europe,
with even IKEA, the Swedish furniture
giant, offering off-grid household solar kits.
Currently M-Kopa operates in Eastern
Africa and in Ghana in Western Africa. How-
ever, a major barrier to expansion is the lack
of mobile connectivity and mobile banking
options for businesses to unlock access to
consumers by enabling them to pay the daily
rates and user charges. A greater degree of
digitalization of the economy can help drive
job creation.
Providers such as BlueTown, a Danish
company offering communications solutions
across developing countries, can pave the
way by connecting the unconnected through
local masts, delivering wi-fi to off-grid com-
munities. Clusters between off-grid energy
firms, connectivity providers, mobile banking
concerns and microcredit institutions can be
a motor for sustainable job creation.
LOCAL FABRIC, LOCAL SKILLS
African cities are expanding at an almost
unmatched rate. However, almost 200 mil-
lion people live in slums and with an annual
urbanization rate of 4%, that number is
likely to rise. It suggests there is an urgent
need to re-think construction and urban
planning as untapped tools for job creation
and sustainable production.
Another example is the Mass Design
Group, a company based in the United
States of America and Rwanda that is aim-
ing to improve people’s lives through archi-
tecture and by employing mainly local staff,
both skilled and unskilled. Unskilled people
receive training, providing them with mar-
ketable skills, while skilled workers are given
an opportunity to improve their crafts. Mass
Design Group is part of the ‘lo-fab,’ or locally
fabricated, movement and is using mainly
local inputs for the construction, which
reduces the need for transportation around
the globe and thereby reduces emissions. It
also enables local ideas and innovation during
the design and construction processes.
The end of a construction project is,
in many ways, a beginning. That is true
especially since all impacts are evaluated
and the local workers involved are equipped
with new skills, tools and know-how. Mass
Design Group is good example of a busi-
ness developing synergies between Sustain-
able Development Goals (SDGs) and job
© Sofie Tesson / World Bank
creation. It is shifting productivity from
labour to resources. Using more labour
and equipping people with relevant skills
requires more designers and supervisors
on-site, which can increase construction
costs. Policymakers need to step in and
enable these businesses to create jobs by
incentivizing hiring and increasing the
costs of harmful natural resources use. In
short, it requires systemic change.
FROM BUSINESS TO SYSTEM
If we are to achieve the SDGs, we need
business models that require high inputs
of labour, which is good news for the bat-
tle against unemployment. Businesses such
as M-Kopa and Mass Design Group are
already shifting productivity from labour to
resources, which is true for all forms of cir-
cular business models as well. A shift from
linear to circular production requires labor-
intensive business models, such as research
and development, repair, maintenance and
recycling. Policymakers everywhere need
to support these businesses already leading
the way by incentivizing the increased use
of labour and the reduced use of planetary
resources.
1. A shop-owner lights up an M-Kopa solar lamp.
2. Could home-based solar systems help speed up
the digitalization of Africa?
FORUM ISSUE 2 | 2016  | 21
 SPECIAL REPORT

Harnessing the forces

of e-commerce for development
FABIAN STAECHELIN, Manager Business Development, eBay

E-commerce is breaking down geographical barriers between sellers

and buyers, as well as between developing and developed countries

S
ince its creation 20 years ago eBay has
been a significant force in promoting

© Shutterstock.com / Chonlachai Panprommas

small businesses and entrepreneur-
ship across the United States of America and
Europe. Today there are 25 million active
sellers on eBay, many of them making a liv-
ing selling online.* During a recent visit to
Africa I had the chance to meet with two
Rwandan-based eBay sellers and was able to
experience first-hand how online trade cre-
ates sales opportunities.
I strongly believe in the potential of
e-commerce to enable entrepreneurship
in developing countries similar to what is
underway in advanced countries. Proac-
tive action is needed to realise this poten-
tial. There is an opportunity for the public
and private sectors to join forces in help-
ing small businesses access global markets.
That opportunity is very real considering the
rapid technological advances in developing
countries.
less than in traditional trade. This leads come into play. Selling across borders comes
HOW E-COMMERCE BENEFITS to e-commerce-enabled small businesses with significant complexities and small busi-
SMALL BUSINESSES becoming veritable export champions: ness need help overcoming them. While
In short, e-commerce benefits small busi- while traditional businesses merely engage local e-commerce in developing countries
nesses because it can connect them to a global in exporting at all, 97% of technology-ena- is booming, online selling on international
customer base they cannot reach otherwise. bled businesses export and they reach as e-commerce platforms has yet to take off.
A recent research paper** by Hanne many as 40 destinations on average. While visiting Rwanda I was impressed
Melin of eBay’s Public Policy Lab shows that to see how far e-commerce has come in such
e-commerce has been a powerful export WHY SMALL BUSINESSES a short time. For example, Kaymu – the local
enabler for small businesses in advanced NEED HELP eBay – has expanded to 17 African markets
and developing countries alike. Essentially, Getting a store set up online and under- in less than three years. Mobile connectivity
in e-commerce the geographical distance standing customer behaviour and prefer- in Kigali is often better than what I experi-
between sellers and buyers becomes insig- ences in foreign target markets is challeng- ence in Europe. On every street corner you
nificant. In the case of online trade with ing. That is even more so when questions can buy SIM cards for the 4G network and
developing countries, distance matters 94% around export regulations or import taxes mobile money is omnipresent.

22  | FORUM ISSUE 2 | 2016

While local e-commerce in developing
countries is booming, online selling
on international e-commerce platforms
has yet to take off.
ENABLING ENTREPRENEURS
While local e-commerce is a big step forward
for the national economy, local businesses
have yet to take advantage of the benefits of
cross-border e-commerce. A meeting at the
Rwandan Ministry of Commerce involving
30 small businesses showed that they all
cared for reaching a larger customer base but
lacked the skills and knowledge to run an
online storefront and serve foreign markets.
A recent pilot project run in the Ger-
man town of Mönchengladbach can serve
as a model for the public and private sectors
to join forces to help small businesses realise
cross-border trade opportunities.
Mönchengladbach’s private-sector devel-
opment authority turned to eBay in early
2015 for help on an e-commerce pilot aim-
ing to bring local businesses online. Within
a short period of time 77 brick-and-mortar
stores were recruited, including a pharmacy,
a shoe shop and an electronics reseller. eBay’s
merchant development team assisted these
businesses with establishing an online pres-
ence and advised them on marketing their
products to local as well as foreign custom-
ers. The results were encouraging: within
six months the participating businesses
sold a total of 65,000 articles generating€
Interview with Lyce of Rwanda Tribal
Q: How long have you been selling
on eBay? A: United States, European Union, Russia.
A: 11 months.
Q: What type of goods do you sell?
A: Tribal Masks.
Q: How many people do you employ?
A: One.
Q: What is your sales volume so far?
A: US$ 6,700.
Q: What platforms do you sell
on next to eBay?
A: None.
Q: What % of your sales are international?
A: 100%.
© Fabian Staechelin
€2.5 million (US$ 2.8m) in additional sales. in a unique position to accelerate the trend
Most importantly, the majority of them towards a more inclusive global trading
engaged in exports, reaching customers in system – creating trade impact for good.
79 countries.
This model is applicable to developing Hanne Melin contributed to this article. This article
presents the views of the author and should not be
countries in one form or another. The craft attributed to eBay.
of selling online is very similar around the
world. The added challenge in developing
countries is dealing with customs, getting * Of the US$ 83 billion worth of merchandise traded on
eBay in 2015, 75% came from business sellers.
the merchandise shipped timely and collect-
** https://www.ebaymainstreet.com/sites/default/files/
ing payments from foreign customers.
eBay_Commerce-3-for-Development.pdf, page 9is
It is crucial, therefore, that entrepre-
neurs get appropriate support. I am excited
to see the International Trade Centre (ITC)
1. Online platforms such as eBay are opening up new
developing a programme to assist small opportunities for people to trade across borders more
businesses and entrepreneurs in exporting easily.
online. By joining forces with the right part- 2. E-commerce has helped Lyce finalize sales of US$ 6,700
ners from the private sector, ITC puts itself to customers in the US.
Q: What is your main export destination?
Q: In your view, what are the biggest challenges when
selling internationally?
A: PayPal doesn’t allow Rwanda based accounts to receive
payments.
Q: What are the key things that eBay should do to help you
sell internationally? Can eBay talk to PayPal to allow
Rwandans accounts to receive payments? How do you
manage getting payments to Rwanda anyways?
A: I have opened a PayPal account in Kenya. From there I can
withdraw cash to Equity Bank (a Kenyan bank) and have it sent
to my Rwandan mobile money account. Transfer fees for this
are high. It would be much easier if I could withdraw money
directly from PayPal in Rwanda.
FORUM ISSUE 2 | 2016  | 23
 SPECIAL REPORT

Digital economy unlocks doors

for women entrepreneurs in Africa
JENNIFER FREEDMAN, ITC Consultant

E-commerce investment helps Kenyan software company

expand clientele

S awaSawa means ‘fine and dandy’ in

Swahili and the women-led custom
software-solutions provider bearing
that name is doing ever-increasing business,
thanks in large part to electronic commerce
and the development of digital tools.
What began in 1998 as a two-woman
enterprise has evolved into a 12-strong team
with clients around the world, thanks to the
technology boom that has brought a wave of
hold, its domain name base shot up to 2,000
over two years.
Technology companies have benefited
as public and private-sector actors invest in
developing the right infrastructure, access
and space for the digital economy to emerge
in Kenya, dubbed Africa’s ‘Silicon Savannah.’
SawaSawa is one of the 33 beneficiary com-
panies supported by the International Trade
Centre (ITC) Netherlands Trust Fund III, a

investment in Kenyan IT companies.
‘When we got into e-commerce it really
helped us grow our company,’ said Sarah
Murugi, chief executive of Nairobi-based
SawaSawa, which offers custom software
development and infrastructure. ‘We were
able to expand our clients’ geographical
reach and our client base. With the interna-
tional digital tools of e-commerce, our busi-
ness operations are all digitized and 90% are
automated.’
That means higher sales and income
because operational costs have dropped
and the company has added customers in
Europe, the Americas, Asia and Oceania.
International business has grown well over
60%, Murugi said, particularly for services
that generate recurring revenue.
‘When it comes to e-commerce, you
don’t have to be physically hired in an
office,’ she explained. ‘As long as you have
a skill set you just have to make yourself
visible online, provide a proper platform to
engage clients wherever they are and voila,
you create a job for yourself.’
DIGITAL BOOM
SawaSawa’s domain-name registration activi-
ties illustrate the importance of e-commerce.
Initially, the company had registered about
100 domain names, which translates into
customers. But once the digital boom took
series of projects funded by the Dutch Centre
for the Promotion of Imports from developing
countries (CBI). In Kenya, the project seeks to
enhance the export competitiveness of Ken-
yan information, technology and information
technology enabled services companies. The
direct private-sector partner is Kenya Infor-
mation Technology & Outsourcing Society
(KITOS), of which SawaSawa is a member.
ITC also works with the Kenya ICT Authority
at government level.
ITC is setting up an exporter directory
with an e-commerce function, which will
enhance the visibility of SawaSawa and
other participating companies. Potential cus-
tomers will find useful details online about
Kenyan small and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) and can ask for an electronic quo-
tation. This platform will be hosted on the
KITOS website.
Digitizing the e-commerce structure
has helped break down barriers confronting
women entrepreneurs, Murugi said.
‘We operate in a patriarchal society
where men are dominant and there are still
stereotypes that women don’t understand
technology,’ she said. ‘Digitizing means cli-
ents never have to know your gender. It’s
leveled the playing field and reduced patriar-
chy in business. We’re now able to operate
in areas where there is less discrimination
towards women.’
© SawaSawa
E-commerce has also brought chal-
lenges. These include protecting goods,
services and trademarks; sharing knowledge
about how payments are made; reassuring
clients about security; and proving expertise
to foreign markets. Murugi says the key is
to continually reinvent ways to overcome
e-commerce cross-trade barriers, such as
forming favourable partnerships, improving
networking and brand-exposure strategies,
and participating in dialogues that concern
SMEs and e-commerce trade.
‘Once you open up your products and
services, you face the challenge of proving
your expertise to foreign markets,’ she said.
‘Competition is stiff - you always have to be
on top of your game, make sure your sys-
tems are working flawlessly and that they’re
easy to use. A great deal of work goes into
maintaining an e-commerce business.’
1. SawaSawa is one the 33 companies ITC work with in
‘Silicon Savannah’.

24  | FORUM ISSUE 2 | 2016

 SPECIAL REPORT

Africa’s digital agriculture revolution

JARLE HETLAND, Editor, International Trade Forum

Fabian Lange of the Kofi Annan Foundation discusses how technology

can support Africa’s agriculture and lift people out poverty

D igital technologies can improve agri-

culture in Africa as they have potential

© Arne Hoel / World

to significantly raise productivity of
smallholder farmers, Fabian Lange, associate
research officer at the Kofi Annan Foundation,
tells Jarle Hetland. As part of the organization’s
Combatting Hunger Programme, which advo-
cates for the transformation of African agricul-
ture to ensure food and nutrition security, he
has seen first-hand how going digital is trans-
forming the continent.

Hetland: How can digital technologies

help to combat hunger in Africa?
Lange: Digital technologies such as mobile
phones, satellites and big data provide
unprecedented opportunities to integrate
smallholders into food systems. Through
mobile phones, for example, smallholders
can receive rural advisory services tailored
to their needs, access weather information
in real time to adjust their planting and get
market prices to negotiate efficiently with
potential buyers. Digital technologies clearly
have the potential to improve smallholders’
productivity and increase food security.
H: What are some of the main chal-
H: Can digital technology be made lenges?
realistic, cost efficient and sustainable L: There are numerous digital projects
in rural and inaccessible parts of Africa? throughout Africa in support of smallholder
L: Digital technology is becoming increas-
ingly available and affordable in rural areas
of Africa. Today, 75% of Africans own mobile
phones and mobile networks are growing
dramatically in rural areas, enabling a two-
way communication between previously
isolated smallholders and the other actors
involved in the food system. As well as pro-
viding benefits to rural communities, many
digital solutions are commercially viable and
therefore sustainable in the long term. For
example, M-Farm, a mobile phone-based
market information and trading system, has
been successful in giving Kenyan farmers
access to market prices and connecting them
directly with buyers.
We also have to ensure that digital
applications are run on neutral
platforms to which any farmer
can connect, including the poorest
and most vulnerable.
agriculture. One key challenge is scaling
them up, which requires policy changes,
investments and sustained effort from gov-
ernments, private enterprises and NGOs.
On the technical level, farmers need to be
assigned ‘unique user identifiers’ so that
they can actually receive services tailored
to their specific needs. This has been done
quite successfully in Nigeria, where the gov-
ernment has assigned identifiers to about 15
million farmers to provide input subsidies
directly to farmers through its e-Wallet pro-
gramme. We also have to ensure that digital
applications are run on neutral platforms to
which any farmer can connect, including the
poorest and most vulnerable. For example,
the Agricultural Transformation Agency of
Ethiopia developed a digital soil map which
is public and can be used by anybody.
H: What is the foundation doing to
address the situation?
L: The Kofi Annan Foundation mobilizes
political will to overcome threats to peace,
development and human rights. Like with
so many of the world’s issues, the know-
how to combat hunger effectively is already
there. We therefore convene the big players
from the private sector, government, the UN
and civil society to pool their resources and
make it happen.
With our partners we look to building the
digital infrastructure in support of these
African smallholders. We named our efforts
here the African Food Systems Initiative,
which aims to enable smallholders to turn
their subsistence farms into profitable busi-
nesses while improving food and nutrition
security across Africa.
1. Digital solutions are making it easier to grow crops
across Africa.

FORUM ISSUE 2 | 2016  | 25

 SPECIAL REPORT
Three ways tech will unleash
Africa’s economic potential
FRANCIS GATARE, CEO, Rwanda Development Board
Africa’s governments need to place the right infrastructure
for techonology to boost economic growth
T
here is a clear understanding among
Africa’s more rapidly developing eco-
nomic players that technology must
be brought centre stage in order to continue
the pace of progress.
Thriving start-up scenes in Kigali, Nai-
robi and Lagos are excellent examples of the
promise that entrepreneurship and techno-
logical development offer to both strengthen
the economy and serve the needs of their
populations.
26  | FORUM ISSUE 2 | 2016
The latest success story is in India,
which a short while ago was more or less in
the same stage that many African countries
are in today – on the cusp of major success.
Wildly successful over the past 20 years,
India has grown its tech industry to a value
worth more than US$ 80 billion, directly
and indirectly employing more than 10 mil-
lion people.
Channelling technological innovation
to strengthen a wider economy is a tried and
© Book Aid International
tested way to simultaneously boost growth
while strengthening the foundation for
future success. Many countries are well on
their way to making information and com-
munications technologies (ICT) a core com-
ponent of their long-term growth strategies.
At the World Economic Forum Sum-
mit on Africa, Rwanda showcased the major
steps it has taken to make ICT a central ele-
ment of our future development. Below are
a few key factors that we have identified

Cities looking to become ‘smart’
will need to give service providers
the ability to be accessible to their
users at all times.
as being critical to unlocking Africa’s eco-
nomic potential through technological
innovation.
INFRASTRUCTURE AS A PRIORITY
Governments across Africa are operating
with the clear understanding that technology
is a critical channel to economic growth and
that continuing the development of our ICT
sector should remain high on the agenda. To
truly ensure that this reality comes to be, the
foundations for long-term growth must be
prioritized. Businesses and individuals must
be able to connect and engage with mobile
technology every day, following the model of
other cosmopolitan countries.
Cities looking to become ‘smart’ will
need to give service providers the ability
to be accessible to their users at all times.
Rwanda has already made internet access
a priority throughout the country and soon
will introduce wi-fi to public places in major
cities. A small investment in connectivity
offers service providers the ability to engage
with customers on a level that competes
with international cities.
The rise in tech hubs across Africa –
right now there are more than 50 – is part
of a strategy to give young software devel-
opers and recent graduates in science and
engineering the training and skills they
need. Tech entrepreneurs at these hubs now
have a place to develop their product and
receive guidance from experienced men-
tors. Without strong infrastructure, which
only the government can provide, the sector
will never reach its full potential.
ICT ACROSS SECTORS
The benefits of technology can be felt far
beyond high-tech industries. ICT developed
at one of the many African tech hubs can
be used to meet people’s needs everywhere.
From mobile payment systems like M-Pesa,
which many suggest has overtaken the West
in terms of ubiquity and ease of use, to the
world’s first drone port, African nations are
certainly aware that technology outside the
African startup ventures by country in 2015 % of ventures listed on VC4Africa
Nigeria 23
Kenya 22
South Africa 11
Ghana 8
Cameroon 6
Egypt 5
Uganda 5
Tanzania 3
Zambia 2
Ethiopia 2
Zimbabwe 2
Senegal 2
Ivory Coast 1
Mozambique 1
Rwanda 1
Botswana 1
tech scene is exactly what governments can
and should foster. The rise in tech hubs across Africa
What’s more, the technology that is is part of a strategy to give young
solving a problem also contributes to the software developers and recent
economy by providing jobs and injecting graduates in science and engineering
cash into outdated systems. More widely, it the training and skills they need.
can revolutionize the way African popula-
tions engage with everything from health-
care to banking, transportation and more. companies such as Microsoft and Intel
have invested in Africa’s potential with a
INTERNATIONAL INVESTMENT range of new schemes.
African countries have been actively shed- This type of foreign involvement allows
ding the stereotype that the only capital our young tech ecosystem to receive guid-
injections in the region come in the form of ance that will enable local entrepreneurs to
aid from the West or investments in min- channel their expertise into a new wave of
ing and resources. Friendly business policies solutions.
and tax incentives are being used by govern- Now is the time to collectively decide
ments to great effect and these activities are on a wider vision for making technological
helping to change perceptions and unlock innovation a core channel for our wider
new opportunities. development goals.
Rwanda’s system is structured to enable
This article first appeared in Ventures Africa.
anyone to establish a new business in just
three hours and flexible visa policies have
allowed Kigali to become a hub for regional
entrepreneurs. This type of action helps
create a win-win scenario where the local
economy and foreign investors can benefit
equally and substantially.
ICT investment opportunities are
very rich and span from major innova-
tions in mobile connectivity to hardware
development. Top Western research
universities are establishing degree- 1. Youngsters need to be provided with training and skills in
granting programmes in Africa and major new technologies.
FORUM ISSUE 2 | 2016  | 27
 SPECIAL REPORT

How will digitalization

change agriculture?
ACHIM WALTER, Professor of Crop Science, ETH Zurich

© Shutterstock.com

In the future, farmers are likely to consult other devices than their
mobile phones when deciding on which seeds to sow and when

D
igitalization is fascinating. Just as
we’ve been spellbound by our
smartphones in recent years, watch-
ing funny videos and sharing pictures of
adorable cats, in the future young farmers
are likely to don digital glasses or consult
devices that will help them analyse their
work and make decisions.
This data might be collected by self-
piloted multicopters, or other drones,
which examine the state of the field
according to empirical formulas and effec-
tively provide specific cultivation tips for
individual plants to answer the important
questions of the day. A bit more fertilizer
here, some of the latest insecticide there?
Should the tomato be deprived of water
a tiny bit longer so that it develops the
perfect flavour? Does Daisy the cow’s
temperature indicate that insemination
should wait until the afternoon? Can the
next purchase of feed pellets be put off
until next week after the markets have
calmed down?

28  | FORUM ISSUE 2 | 2016

Farmers will primarily assume the role
of technically skilled researchers:
new diseases will emerge, organisms
will migrate and unusual cases and
technical problems will arise.
AUTOMATION
Agricultural ‘Siris’ are already beginning
to answer such queries – even if they are
still in the pilot phases. For example, there
is a six-legged robot named Prospero [1]
roaming test fields in the United States of
America and planting individual kernels
of corn in exactly the right spot for the
plant to take root. And for several years
now, Bonirob [2] has been wandering the
fields of Germany unassisted, testing the
ground and picking weeds that threaten
the main crop.
You don’t have to be a clairvoy-
ant to recognize that agriculture is also
undergoing rampant digitalization. The
automation movement is as inevitable
as the tasting of the forbidden fruit. The
promises of technology are all too seduc-
tive and the promises of greater efficiency
entirely too tempting.
Still, just because we want something
doesn’t mean that it’s good for us. Diver-
sification and variety trump everything,
especially when it comes to agriculture and
food. Simplistic, cookie-cutter approaches
to solving problems usually reveal consider-
able weaknesses early on. Food production
is a highly complex endeavour: millions of
organisms in a single litre of soil affect the
development of the crops that grow in it.
Likewise, thousands of compounds in the
plant affect the cow that eats it. We can-
not package everything into a single correct
formulas. But is that a reason not to devise
any formulas at all?
It may be more important to ask what
new formulae should be established next
or whether digitalization should aim to
reduce costs in the short term or preserve
environmental resources in the long term.
Compared to the rest of the world, our
agricultural practices are very sustainable
– whether they carry the organic label or
not. Our farmers are highly knowledgeable
and competent. This is why we should get
involved now and decide which problems
should be tackled by future technologies.
In agriculture, digitalization may in
fact make it possible to focus more
on the true heroes of the story:
the plants and animals.
THE FARMER’S ROLE
What will be left for farmers to do when
agriculture is digitalized and automated?
Will they simply be reduced to servants of
algorithms and machines that require just
a few remaining manual manoeuvres or
will they take on a new role? I think farm-
ers will primarily assume the role of tech-
nically skilled researchers: new diseases
will emerge, organisms will migrate and
unusual cases and technical problems will
arise. They may no longer have to steer the
tractors themselves, but in the future they
will still have to go out in the fields and into
the stable to check the system recommenda-
tions, take care of specific tasks and improve
systems interactively on an ongoing basis.
COMPLEXITY
In the field of medicine, technical advances
have still not supplanted doctors or nurses.
Instead, they have made it possible for doc-
tors to deal with more complex diseases as
we begin to live longer and often require
long-term care. In agriculture, digitalization
© Swissmacky / Shutterstock.com
may in fact make it possible to focus more
on the true heroes of the story: the plants
and animals. There will be more time to
tackle new challenges and more time to
advise other farmers in remote places who
do not have easy access to education and
technology.
Granted, the world doesn’t actually
work this way. But wouldn’t it be fantastic
if it did? We now have the opportunity to
set the course and develop a model for what
digitalization should bring to agriculture –
instead of waiting to see the toll it will take
on agriculture and on us.
This article was first published on the World
Economic Forum’s Agenda blog.
1. Beyond mobile phones: a quadrocopter inspects a field
and sends data back to its user.
2. Mobile phones have made it easier for farmers to access
information on when to plant and when to harvest crops.
FORUM ISSUE 2 | 2016  | 29
 SPECIAL REPORT

In line with going online:

using e-commerce to tap new markets
SUSANNA PAK, Staff Writer, International Trade Centre

© Laurena Arribat/ITC
Small and medium-sized businesses in developing countries are using
electronic solutions to leapfrog trade challenges and target customers
around the world with ITC help

T
o sell more goods online, sell them in
person. That’s what Syrian entrepreneur
Rania Kinge did to expand her online
market while offering handmade products rang-
ing from bracelets and bags to scarves to soaps
at a pop-up store in Geneva earlier this year.
The goods were handcrafted by dis-
placed women in Damascus who received
training from Kinge. Over time, she has
trained about 100 women.
‘I donate my know-how to teach
them how to do handwork so they can
slowly get out of the shelters and live
as normal Syrian citizens,’ Kinge says,
adding that it’s important for her to
give local women a chance at making
a decent living in their own country.
‘Syria’s local economy is based on crafts.
I thought I would tap into this to reposi-
tion Syria on the international scene.’
WHERE VIRTUAL
AND PHYSICAL MEET
For small-business owners like Kinge,
opening a pop-up store is a low-cost, low-
commitment alternative to opening a brick-
and-mortar store. An added benefit is that
it can generate buzz about a company and
pique the interest of passers-by, making it
more likely for them to purchase goods, visit
the online store and tell others about the

30  | FORUM ISSUE 2 | 2016

 © Laurena Arribat/ITC
I donate my know-how to teach them
how to do handwork so they can
slowly get out of the shelters and
live as normal Syrian citizens.

company. In other words, it levels the play-

ing field somewhat.
Kinge partnered with the International
Trade Centre (ITC) to set up her store –
which ITC calls an e-commerce souk or
eComSouk – as part of the ITC e-solutions
programme of advisory and capacity build-
ing services designed to help businesses of
developing countries to sell in international
markets using digital platforms.
By providing services and opportuni-
ties such as the eComSouk, businesses of all
sizes – particularly small and medium-sized

© Laurena Arribat/ITC

enterprises (SMEs) – are better able to reach
their target customers, explains Mohamed
Es Fih, ITC e-solutions adviser.
‘We have technology to help these busi-
nesses get easier access to major online mar-
ketplaces, like eBay, Amazon, Etsy and other
markets,’ he says. ‘We do this by unlocking
barriers to the tripod of problems: visibility,
payments and logistics.’
During the one-day eComSouk event,
customers bought nearly US$ 10,000 worth
of Syrian products. As a result of the visibil-
ity raised by the event, about double that
amount in business leads, including busi-
ness-to-business meetings, followed.
The Syrian eComSouk was the sec-
ond event of its kind. The first, which fea-
tured products from Morocco, resulted in
physical sales of US$ 5,500 and an addi-
tional US$ 10,000 in online sales after
the event.
LEAPFROGGING TRADE BARRIERS
While the eComSouk introduces customers
to goods produced by SMEs in developing
countries, the lasting impact comes from
attracting customers to their websites. For
example, Kinge’s business has generated
more than 12,000 likes on Facebook and
testimonials from buyers from the region
and around the world.
To keep and build on customers’ trust,
companies must ensure that once an online
order is placed, the goods are delivered on
time and in good condition.
This is a major challenge for many
SMEs, particularly those in developing
countries, where high logistics costs, unpre-
dictable delivery times and outdated legisla-
tion can make it almost impossible for them
to sell goods in international markets. Often-
times SME owners do not fully understand
trade logistics procedures and processes and
struggle to manage risks related to crossing
borders.
To help, ITC is partnering with DHL,
the global logistics company, to address chal-
lenges to logistics and customs regulations.
The goal of the partnership is to equip SMEs,
trade institutions and government authorities
with the knowledge and skills to improve
their trade logistics performance so more
businesses can participate in e-commerce.
CRAFTING POSITIVE CHANGES
As for Kinge, marketing her products at the
eComSouk in Geneva opened up her busi-
ness to a new clientele, giving the displaced
women that she works with in Damascus
© Laurena Arribat/ITC
a chance to promote their products directly
to end consumers. She hopes the products
she sells can share a positive message about
Syria with the rest of the world.
‘Thanks to ITC, I am equipped with
more courage and hope that we can change
people in a nice way,’ Kinge says. ‘We have
to make projects that are adapted to people
and their skills.’
1. Entrepreneur Rania Kinge introduces customers to bags
handmade by displaced women in Damascus at a pop-up
store in Geneva, organized by ITC.
2. Customers browse jewellery handcrafted by Syrian
women at a pop-up store in Geneva.
3. Mohamed Es Fih, ITC e-solutions adviser, rings up
a customer’s purchase using a mobile phone and credit
card reader.
4. Customers shop for goods at the first eComSouk
organized by ITC, featuring Moroccan goods.

FORUM ISSUE 2 | 2016  | 31

 SPECIAL REPORT
How the digital economy is improving
women’s access to global markets
CYNTHIA BALOGH, National Program Manager, Women in Global Business
Social media is making technology more accessible for women
in the world of business
N
o matter what city you are in these
days you will notice people with
their heads down, staring at their
smartphones. One German municipality is
installing warning lights in the pavement
to keep distracted pedestrians from walk-
ing into oncoming trains. The safety haz-
ard aside, what is striking is how much
time people spend on their phones. Digital
media and smartphones are everywhere, in
every city, town and village across the globe.
Consumers are connected everywhere so
those institutions and businesses connecting
with them are benefiting. Those that aren’t
are left behind.
Organizations such as Women in
Global Business (WIGB), an Australian
government initiative, are intended to
inspire and support women-led businesses
with exporting goods, exploiting digi-
tal technology and connecting with and
engaging customers. WIGB programmes
are offered via digital technology plat-
forms. For example, the programme was
one of the early adopters of social media
in government, which has resulted in a
large, loyal customer base that often only
connects through social media.
In the same way, businesses seeking
to trade internationally can only do so
effectively if they have a globally acces-
sible digital footprint. Digital communi-
cation needs to be delivered in multiple
languages, be culturally sensitive and be
open for business 24/7. Getting started
in international business has never been
more accessible for business owners than
it is today.
32  | FORUM ISSUE 2 | 2016
PURCHASING POWER
Research shows that men are primarily driven
by technology, whereas women drive consump-
tion, making over 80% of purchasing decisions.
In Australia connected women navigate the
digital landscape with confidence, outperform-
ing men on indicators such as media multitask-
ing, social connection, sharing of content and
© Leungchopan
number of hours spent on devices.
According to the 2016 Sensis Social
Media Report, 57% of Australians use social
media every day, spending 12.5 hours weekly
online on average. The rise of consumer usage
has influenced and encouraged the rise of businesswomen to global value chains, the
SME businesses going online. The same report project team kept in touch with stakeholders
states that 48% of small, 54% of medium- via social media as it is the preferred method
sized and 79% of large businesses in Australia of connection in Indonesia. As Indonesia is
use social media to increase their client base one of the world’s most mobile-centric coun-
and generate sales. This issignificant increase tries and is in the global top 10 of smartphone
on 2015 figures of 30% for small, 32% for ownership, it makes sense to communicate
medium-sized and 55% for large business. and connect with stakeholders and women-
It is important for prospective exporters to led businesses via mobile apps rather than
tailor their digital communication to the needs emails, which often go unanswered.
of each market. For example, whilst deliver- The digital economy has changed forever
ing the joint WIGB-International Trade Centre the way organizations do business and those
project to improve the access of Indonesian who have not adapted will be left behind.
Four tips to for better international online trade
1. Make information visually appealing, using images, infographics and video for
maximum impact.
2. Internationalize all communication while being culturally sensitive.
Translate content into relevant languages, always checking the messaging with a native speaker before
you go public.
3. Post on social media regularly and keep content relevant and up
to date. Strive to keep a balance between broadcasting and engagement.
4. Appoint dedicated digital media resources and experts. Successfully
navigating the digital economy means investing in talented, experienced people.
 ANALYSIS

Unlocking FDI development

gains through facilitation
JAMES ZHAN, Director of Investment and Enterprise, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development

World leaders should take their cue from WTO efforts

on trade facilitation and jointly work to ease investment flows.
Here is a ten-point action menu that can guide such an agenda.

T
he World Trade Organization’s (WTO)

© Laurena Arribat / ITC

Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA)
holds enormous promise to gear up
trade flows. WTO estimates suggest success-
ful implementation of the TFA could reduce
trade costs by 14%, which in turn could
raise global goods exports by US$ 1 trillion a
year – potentially boosting the world econ-
omy at a time of flagging growth. What is
more, the body’s World Trade Report found
that developing countries stand to capture
more than half those gains, a ramification
with significant implications for interna-
tional development efforts.
Still, trade facilitation cannot be the
only lens through which we seek to unlock
development gains. Fundamental structural
changes in the global economy over the
past 20 years have led to investment and
trade becoming enmeshed. The rise of mul-
tinational firms created intricate international
production networks, which now account for hope to meaningfully deliver on the 2030 matter of mobilizing those funds and chan-
more than a quarter of the world’s economic Development Agenda. SDG-related invest- neling them to the SDGs sectors and unlock
output and 80% of global trade. This shows ment needs run as high as US$ 4.5 trillion development benefits.
trade and investment are inextricably linked. per year in developing countries alone, data The development potential investment
Efforts invested to reap greater gains through from the United Nations Conference on holds is well acknowledged by govern-
the one need to be matched by similar efforts Trade and Development (UNCTAD) show. ments. However, investment facilitation
to grease the other. Trade facilitation without Yet current investment levels leave a gaping measures are far from sufficient in most
a concomitant push to smooth the way for shortfall of some US$ 2.5 trillion, an amount national policy suites. Governments show
increased investment will not unlock eco- far outstripping the combined mettle of pub- a strong inclination to offer incentives to
nomic growth in a sustained manner. lic investment, aid flows and remittances. lure investment; to address grassroots-level
Private sector investment can meaningfully obstacles, not so much.
SDG INVESTMENTS bridge that gap. The collective US$ 6 trillion An UNCTAD survey of foreign direct
At the same time, development impera- of cash holdings on the balance sheets of investment policies shows more than 1,000
tives as enumerated under the Sustainable multinationals and several hundred trillion new investment policies were set up over
Development Goals (SDGs) have amplified dollars of financial assets show the private the past decade. Yet, for the 323 investment
the central role investment must play if we sector is amply up to the task. It is simply a promotion and facilitation measures the

FORUM ISSUE 2 | 2016  | 33


Trade facilitation without a
concomitant push to smooth the
way for increased investment will
not unlock economic growth in a
sustained manner.
overwhelming majority related to investment
incentives or special economic zones-type
benefits, while only 24% constituted concrete
investment facilitation measures. This means
a range of inexpensive, potentially valuable ƒƒ Build constructive stakeholder relations.
policy fixes go unheeded while opaque legal
or administrative requirements, cumbersome
operating environments and costly business
requirements prevail. Rather than handing
out incentives, eliminating such constraints
would be a far more compelling key to unlock
investment flows and create a business envi-
ronment that keeps investors invested.
The same issue marks investment
policies at the international level. Concrete
investment promotion and facilitation actions
are either weak or absent in most of the exist-
ing 3,300 international investment agree-
ments (IIAs). UNCTAD examined 1,200 IIAs
and found that only 22% contain some sort of
investment facilitation provisions. Even those
agreements explicitly dealing with invest-
ment facilitation issues command few, if any,
effective measures. Far more work than this
would be needed to win over wary investors.
THE ACTION MENU
UNCTAD crafted an Investment Facilitation
Action Menu *
that systematically signposts
policy options which can be adopted and
adapted by countries at the national and
international level to create a better operating
environment for investment. The overarch- ƒƒ Strengthen investment facilitation efforts for global investment, the spark to kindle
ing rationale is to unlock investment flows,
particularly in productive sectors, while con-
tributing towards sustainable development.
In brief, the action areas propose to:
ƒƒ Promote accessibility and transparency
in the formulation of policies, regulations
and procedures relevant to investors.
This can include a centralized registry of
laws and regulations and a mechanism to
provide timely notice of changes in pro-
ƒƒ Enhance investment policy and promotion
cedures, standards, technical regulations
and conformation requirements.
ƒƒ Enhance predictability and consistency
in the application of investment policies
through, for instance, systematizing and
34  | FORUM ISSUE 2 | 2016
institutionalizing the application of invest-
© Shutterstock.com
ment regulations.
ƒƒ Improve the efficiency and effectiveness
of investment administration procedures.
This can be done through shortening and
simplifying licensing, registration and tax-
related procedures; establishing online
one-stop approval authorities; and clarify-
ing the roles and accountabilities between
levels of government.
This can be accomplished through estab-
lishing and maintaining mechanisms for
regular consultations and dialogue with
investment stakeholders through the life-
cycle of investments; and mechanisms to ƒƒ Enhance international cooperation on
engage interested parties in lawmaking investment promotion and facilitation
and policy-review processes. for development through provisions in
IIAs. This can include advocating for high
ƒƒ Designate a lead agency or facilitator with
corporate governance standards and re-
a mandate to address investor complaints
sponsible business conduct by outward
and suggestions; track and manage dis-
investors; encouraging home countries
putes; manage smooth information flow;
to provide outward investment support,
and liaise with relevant government insti-
such as political risk coverage, investment
tutions on recurrent problems.
insurance or facilitation services; and es-
ƒƒ Establish monitoring and review mecha- tablishing regular consultations between
nisms for investment facilitation, such as relevant authorities or formal collabora-
diagnostic tools and indicators on the ef- tion between outward investment agen-
fectiveness of administrative procedures cies and IPAs.
and measuring and benchmarking the
As is clear from the above, the areas for
performance of institutions involved in
action are framed along two axes. The first
facilitating investment.
set of proposals can be deployed by coun-
ƒƒ Enhance international cooperation for tries in their own interest. The second set of
investment facilitation. This can be done action lines is aimed to smooth the invest-
through consultation between relevant ment environment of developing country
authorities; collaboration on anti-corrup- partners and stimulate global collaboration
tion efforts in investment processes; and in the area of investment facilitation. In the
institutional expertise exchanges. absence of a formal governance mechanism
in developing-country partners through formal collective collaboration is absent.
technical assistance and support in a Still, organizations such as UNCTAD and the
range of areas, including bolstering trans- World Bank work unceasingly in the area to
parent and effective administrative proce- develop expertise and collate best practice.
dures; building capacity for preparation of The ultimate aim is to incrementally pave the
regulatory feasibility studies; and building way for greater international cooperation in
actual institutional capacity, including an area sorely in need of such aid.
those of investment promotion agencies James Zhan is the lead author of World Investment
(IPAs) and other relevant authorities. Report.
* Investment Facilitation: A Global Action Menu, UNCTAD
http://investmentpolicyhub.unctad.org/Blog/Index/53
in developing-country partners, including
through policy reviews and the design of
effective investment promotion strategies 1. Better trade facilitation needs investment to unlock
and building capacity to provide post-in- economic growth.
vestment or aftercare services. 2. Paving the way for greater collaboration.
 ITC IN ACTION

Sri Lanka sweetens its offerings

of fruits, vegetables for export
SUSANNA PAK, Staff Writer, International Trade Centre

© Susanna Pak / ITC

Farmers and exporters learn to cultivate safe and high-quality fruits

and vegetables that meet international buyer requirements through
an ITC project funded by STDF

O
n any given day, rain or shine,
Ruwan Hemage tends to his farm in
Loluwagoda, Sri Lanka, about 70 kil-
ometres outside the capital city of Colombo.
Hemage, his wife and two hired workers
cultivate a variety of crops on the six-hectare
farm including coconuts, bananas, papayas and
ginger. The main focus, however, is on pineap-
ples, which are intercropped with or grown
in close proximity to coconuts to produce a
greater yield on the land. About 90% of the
pineapples are exported to the Middle East.
As a farmer who sells fresh pineapples
– prices for which constantly fluctuate on
the world market – Hemage must negoti-
ate the best deal for his produce. Sri Lan-
kan producers of pineapples have received
anywhere from US$ 100 to US$ 503.3 per
ton since 1991, according to the Food and
Agriculture Organization.
‘It’s about finding the right buyer with
the right price,’ Hemage says. ‘Some person
asks me to sell pineapples at 50 Sri Lankan
rupees (US$ 0.34) per kilogram, but there is
a possibility in the market to sell at 70 rupees
(US$ 0.48). So find the person who buys at
70 rupees and keep the relationship in the
long term – that is the challenge.’
Higher-quality goods always fetch the
best prices. Through the International Trade

FORUM ISSUE 2 | 2016  | 35


Centre (ITC) project on Improving Safety
and Quality of Fruits and Vegetables in Sri
Lanka, funded by the Standards and Trade
Development Facility (STDF), 560 farm-
ers including Hemage received instruction
from master trainers and extension officers
on growing fruits and vegetables that bet-
ter meet international requirements. They
visited farms certified by GLOBALG.A.P.
– the non-governmental organization that
sets voluntary standards for the certification
of agricultural goods around the world – to
learn good agricultural practices, such as the
minimal use of pesticides and fungicides.
‘We trained them on a variety of things,
whether it’s to do with the use of fertiliz-
ers, chemicals, hygiene, health or safety,
and on how to bring a quality product to the
marketplace that is acceptable for export,’
says Suresh Ellawala, director of Ellawala
Horticulture, a farming business that uses
modern technology and methods to grow
mangoes. His farm became the first in the
country to be GLOBALG.A.P.-certified a few
years ago.
CERTIFICATION BENEFITS
GLOBALG.A.P. certification covers food
safety and traceability; environment; work-
ers’ health, safety and welfare; animal
welfare; and integrated crop management,
integrated pest control, quality management
systems and hazard analysis, and critical
control points.
‘The certification has certainly helped
us in more ways than one,’ he says. ‘It has
trained our workers, it’s brought quality at a
holistic level, we’ve taken better care of our
staff, they’ve taken better care of the product,
and that in turn gives a lot of confidence to our
36  | FORUM ISSUE 2 | 2016
© Susanna Pak / ITC
consumers. And today, consumers are looking
for a product that is safe and certified.’
Hemage and other farmers, extension
officers and exporters selected for their high
performance also participated in study tours
to Thailand and Italy to learn best practices
in cultivation and post-harvest care and to
understand market requirements.
‘We never used post-harvest techniques
here, only at a minimum,’ says Hemage.
‘But in Thailand we learned about very easy
and appropriate utensils and technologies
that we can apply in Sri Lanka, which are
also suitable for women workers.’
The fruits of these efforts to train hun-
dreds of farmers, exporters, officers and
inspectors of the plant quarantine depart-
ment and the extension and training divi-
sion of the Department of Agriculture are
beginning to show following the launch of
the ITC project in 2013.
IMPROVING STANDARDS
Annes Junaid, chairman of the Lanka Fruit
and Vegetable Producers, Processors and
Exporters Association, represents workers
in the fruits and vegetables sector. ‘We have
seen the quality of the fruits and vegetables
that farmers grow raised to a certain stand-
ard and quality,’ he says. ‘And especially
the use of certain pesticides, weedicides
and fungicides has been highly controlled.
Phytosanitary methods have also been part
of the training of this project, which has
helped our farmers to improve their quality
standards.’
The project has also increased business
opportunities and communication between
participants, says Ludovica Ghizzoni, ITC
adviser on export quality management.
© Susanna Pak / ITC
Stakeholders of the fruits and
vegetables sector in Sri Lanka
now value the need to partner
and act together to address safety
and quality-related issues for the
benefit of all.
‘Through the project, we’ve been able
to build a firm foundation based on public-
private collaboration involving farmers, pro-
cessors, exporters, government officials and
buyers,’ says Ghizzoni, who’s also STDF Sri
Lanka project manager. ‘Stakeholders of the
fruits and vegetables sector in Sri Lanka now
value the need to partner and act together to
address safety and quality-related issues for
the benefit of all.’
As for Hemage, he is looking to increase
cultivation and production on his farm, in
particular for pineapple plants, and to sell
more of his goods abroad.
‘After joining this project my way of
thinking has expanded,’ he says. ‘So I will
try to support the establishment of a farmers’
association and find a good-quality buyer to
tie to the export market, to improve linkages
and to build a long-term relationship, not
only for short-term benefits. This has helped
to widen my eyes.’
1. Farmer Ruwan Hemage shares tips about growing and
selling pineapples for export.
2. Employees working on Ruwan Hemage’s six-hectare farm
use good agricultural practices, such as the minimal
use of pesticides and fungicides, in cultivating crops.
3. Workers peel and cut mangoes before drying them at
the Ellawala Horticulture farm, the first in the country
to be GLOBALG.A.P.-certified.
 WORLD VIEW
NEWS

Agenda
from 30 June 2016

Upcoming ITC events

30 June E-Commerce Caravan, Palais des Nations, 1-10 September International Union for the Conservation of
Geneva Nature Congress, Honolulu
1 July E-Commerce Caravan, Place des Nations, 13-26 September Seventy-first General Assembly (GA) of the
Geneva United Nations. The General Debate will open
on 20 September, New York
4 July E-Commerce Caravan, World Trade
Organization, Geneva 24 September CITES holds 17th meeting of the Conference
of the Parties, Johannesburg
5 July E-Commerce Caravan, International Trade
Centre, Geneva 28-30 September ITC’s Third Trade for Sustainable Development
Forum, Geneva
7 July E-Commerce Caravan, e-Bay, Zurich
6 October Launch of the SME Competitiveness
4 July ITC Joint Advisory Group Meeting, Geneva
Outlook 2016, Geneva
17-22 July Fourteenth session of the United Nations
11-13 October ITC World Export Development Forum 2016,
Conference on Trade and Development
Colombo, Sri Lanka
(UNCTAD 14), Nairobi
7-18 November COP22, Marrakesh, Morocco
18-21 July World Investment Forum, Nairobi, Kenya
14-18 November United Nations Forum on Business and
27-28 August The Sixth Tokyo International Conference
Human Rights, Geneva
on African Development (TICAD VI), Nairobi
24-25 November ITC World Trade Promotion Organizations
31 August ITC Trailblazers Summit on Women and Trade,
Conference and Awards, Marrakesh, Morocco
Istanbul
30 November- Women’s Forum Global Meeting, Deauville,
1-2 September ITC Women Vendors Forum and Exhibition,
2 December France
Istanbul

Connecting one million women entrepreneurs to market by 2020

FORUM ISSUE 2 | 2016  | 37

 PUBLICATIONS

BRINGING SMEs ONTO 03

New technical papers THE E-COMMERCE HIGHWAY

For free download, please visit:
DIRECTORY
www.intracen.org/publications
INVESTING IN TRADE PROMOTION
ITC PUBLICATIONS GENERATES REVENUE
Trade promotion pays both in export and GDP
Resources on trade growth, according to this International Trade Centre
and export development (ITC) report. The way trade promotion agencies are
managed also changes their impact on a country’s
for exporters, trade support prosperity. For every dollar of export promotion
invested in a national trade promotion organization
institutions and policymakers (TPO) there are US$ 87 of exports and US$ 384 of
additional GDP per capita generated on average,
according to the report. TPO choices on goals,
clients, sectors and activities affect their impact,
it says.
ORDERING DETAILS http://www.intracen.org/publication/Investing-in-Trade-
ITC publications Promotion-Generates-Revenue/
This report is a starting point for public-private
dialogue to address e-commerce bottlenecks,
especially for small firms in developing countries.
Such businesses face policy challenges in four
processes typical to all e-commerce: establishing
01
online business, international e-payment,
international delivery and aftersales. To improve
competitiveness, challenges must be met within
the firm, in the business environment and by
governments. The report provides checklists
for policy guidance as well as case studies
from e-commerce entrepreneurs in developing
countries.
http://www.intracen.org/publication/Bringing-SMEs-onto-
the-e-Commerce-Highway/
New Books
For free download, please visit:

To order ITC publications online TRADE IN QUINOA: IMPACT ON 02 www.intracen.org/publications

Publications are listed online with prices and can THE WELFARE OF PERUVIAN
be ordered at ITC’s e-shop at www.intracen.org/ COMMUNITIES SETTLING BUSINESS DISPUTES: 04
about/e-shop and via the National Book Network
Buying quinoa contributes to better livelihoods for ARBITRATION AND ALTERNATIVE
(NBN) at: https://unp.un.org
rural Peruvian communities, according to this new DISPUTE RESOLUTION - 2nd ED.
To buy publications by mail ITC study, providing much-needed data on the
United Nations Publications Customer Service International business brings new opportunities and
impact of changing market prices on the welfare new risks alike, especially for small firms venturing
c/o National Book Network of rural households in the altiplano of Peru.
PO Box 190 into new markets with different languages, cultures
The findings inform policymakers about the benefits and legal systems. This book provides an overview
Blue Ridge Summit, PA 17214 of the trade and challenges still facing smallholders
USA of traditional and alternative dispute resolution
following conflicting media reports on the impact of options for international trade and offers cases
e-mail: unpublications@nbnbooks.com higher quinoa prices. and tools targeted to SMEs in developing countries.
In Europe, Africa, and the Middle East: http://www.intracen.org/publication/Trade-in-Quinoa-
Turpin Distribution Impact-on-the-Welfare-of-Peruvian-Communities/ Available in French and Spanish
Pegasus Drive http://www.intracen.org/publication/Settling-Business-
Stratton Business Park Disputes-Arbitration-and-Alternative-Dispute-Resolution-
Biggleswade SG18 8TQ --2nd-ed/
United Kingdom
e-mail: custserv@turpin-distribution.com

Publications are free in limited numbers for official

trade-related institutions. For print copies, contact ITC
Publications at: itcreg@intracen.org.

01 02 03 04

38  | FORUM ISSUE 2 | 2016

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