Gov’t launches e-commerce strategy

Botswana’s National E-Commerce Strategy is expected to enhance growth of businesses and local entrepreneurs as well as help boost the economy in the post COVID-19 recovery process.

The strategy was launched by the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry in collaboration with UNCTAD last week. The service will enable businesses to trade at the comfort of their homes. This will also address the challenge of access to market by the small market enterprises.

Through the strategy, government aims to eliminate barriers that have mired businesses and led to low competitiveness and low productivity in the industry. Launching the strategy, Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry

Mmusi Kgafela said the Strategy provides a solid foundation to build on and is a very important component of the Botswana government’s current policy for driving post COVID-19 recovery and transformation. “Botswana stands to benefit considerably from the Strategy. E-Commerce offers countries with small populations such as Botswana opportunities to tap into larger developed markets and promote exports. It can also enable developing countries to further grow their private sectors by facilitating local businesses internationalization.”

Botswana is ready to harness ICTs to empower businesses, grow the private sector and support the accelerated growth of trade and industry. “The convergence of the internet with commerce has given rise to the rapid growth of E-Commerce among developed and developing countries alike. In addition, in the past year, E-Commerce has played an important role in reducing the infection rates and risks to life caused by the 2020 global COVID-19 pandemic and supporting the post-pandemic economic recovery.”

Europian Union Ambassador to Botswana, Jan Sadek highlighted that through the strategy, Botswana will be able to implement the e-commerce and assist SMMEs to have access to the global market. “Covid-19 has increased the uptake of e-commerce so by developing this strategy, Botswana will be able to implement e-commerce trading platform.” He said Botswana’s well-developed legal and regulatory environment for electronic payments, its robust ICT and e-commerce-related laws and recently updated regulations also constitute an important pillar for creating an environment favourable to e-commerce development.