Africa -China Review Africa -China Cooperation and Transformation
The Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba, has committed to partner with African countries to develop ecosystems and a digital economy, and promoting e-payments. In this regard, Alibaba inaugurated the Global Ecommerce Talent (GET), which happened to be Africa’s first ecommerce training programme.
The Alibaba Group, further through the extension of the eWTP agreement (Electronic World Trade Platform) made it possible for African countries to avail their products on the Chinese markets.
The eWTP is an Alibaba-led initiative that aims to lower barriers to global trade for small- and medium-sized enterprises via e-commerce. The Alibaba initiative started with 14 different African countries namely; Botswana, Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, Rwanda, Ethiopia, South Africa, Algeria, Cameroon, Chad, Egypt, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia.
The Alibaba Business school located at the Alibaba group headquarters in Hangzhou, offers opportunities to African young students to develop digital economy leaders, by training them in e-commerce solutions and entrepreneurship skills in order to be competitive in the ecommerce, made possible by the digitally connected world.
In the wake of the COVID-19, it is interesting to note that the Alibaba group initiated the African edition of the Global Ecommerce Talent program, aimed at coming up with innovative digital solution to support people, business and institutions during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. The program themed; ‘Digital Solutions During COVID-19 and Beyond’, will support young people who are digital survey to innovate with technology and provide solutions to various issues affecting people’s daily lives.
Alibaba group is the most profitable ecommerce company in China sometimes referred to as the Jewel of Hangzhou. In 2018, the company handled transactions worth more than $248 billion (more profitable than Amazon and eBay combined).
The Alibaba Group home-grown payment system known as Alipay is one of the leading electronic payment systems in China alongside Wechat pay. In 2014, the Alibaba Group became the world’s largest initial public offering in history by raising $25 billion in its share flotation when it listed its shares in New York.
Driving China from cash to cashless economy, Alibaba group has helped to spread digital trade across the world and has shifted the supermarket and shopping mall to the smart phone, making it convenient not only for stress free payment by also enabling zero trip stress free E-shopping.
Empowering the African young generation on Ecommerce and entrepreneurship skills resonates well with Africa’s Agenda 2063 especially in its aspiration 1, which is to build “a prosperous Africa based on inclusive growth and sustainable development—Africa will by 2063 be a continent of shared prosperity, which finances and manages its own growth and transformation”.
The partnership between Alibaba Group and African countries will create a capable human resource of problem solvers, competitive business entrepreneurs with a self-reliant mindset that will win the countries off aid dependency. The initiative by the Alibaba Group strengthens people to people diplomacy through education and business transactions, and promotes Africa-China relationship and shared aspirations.
Africa-China Review Editorial
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