06 March 2019

The Rwandan Government has teamed up with Alibaba, the world’s largest online commerce company, to establish an electronic world trade platform (eWTP) hub in the country.

The eWTP is a multi-stakeholder global initiative promoting public-private dialogue.

The aim is to foster a more effective and efficient policy and business environment to enable SMEs to participate in cross-border electronic trade.

Rwanda is the first African country to establish an eWTP hub. 

Under the agreements, Alibaba will work with the Rwanda Development Board to help Rwandan SMEs sell their products to Chinese consumers through Alibaba’s online marketplaces which are said to attract more than half a billion consumers.

The two organisations will also work together to promote Rwanda as a tourist destination, while Alibaba affiliate Ant Financial will share expertise in inclusive financial tools, such as mobile payments, to support the Rwandan digital economy.

Alibaba adds that it is also committed to providing capacity building to academics, policy-makers and entrepreneurs on how to grow a digital economy.

As well as hosting courses and workshops, the company says it will also continue to support Rwandan entrepreneurs through programmes such as the eFounders Fellowship.

In partnership with UNCTAD, Alibaba is training 1,000 entrepreneurs from emerging markets over five years.

Two hundred of these entrepreneurs will come from Africa, and five Rwandan entrepreneurs have already graduated from the programme.

Speaking during the signing of the MoU in early November, Rwandan president Paul Kagame said the eWTP opens up new frontiers in e-commerce and tourism for Rwanda, and will also boost business capacity and competitiveness.

He said: “Rwandan producers will be able to sell directly to a much larger set of customers than before, while bypassing costly intermediaries. This improves productivity and profitability. There really are no downsides to doing business on a global scale.”

Also speaking at the signing ceremony, Alibaba Group founder and executive chairman Jack Ma said: “Entrepreneurs in Rwanda, and elsewhere in Africa, are ready to seize the opportunities offered by the digital economy. It is up to all of us to help them succeed.”