400 Million Africans Connected to the Internet, with E-Commerce Laws in 32 Countries

Dr Yousry El Sharkawi, chairman of the Egyptian African Businessmen’s Association, said the world is expanding its use of e-commerce, whose importance has grown particularly during the global health crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Speaking at the association’s forum, ‘E-Commerce in Africa: Opportunities and Challenges’, he said upcoming meetings with e-commerce experts would seek to develop strategies for improving digital literacy across Africa.

Cybersecurity consultant Sami A Nour explained that about 400 million of Africa’s 1.1 billion people have internet access, but fewer than 25% of the continent’s population can access it daily.

He said internet penetration is below 10% in some African countries, while in others internet costs can reach 9% of income. Fibre-optic networks have yet to reach everyone, and even conventional ADSL connections have not reached rural areas.

Sami A Nour highlighted an obstacle facing e-commerce businesses in Africa: many cities and villages do not appear on Google Maps, and most streets and residential units lack names or numbers. Large businesses can therefore work with local distribution companies familiar with the addresses.

He said most countries are not developing cybersecurity, there is no continent-wide cybersecurity framework, and clear standards and consistent policies are absent, with most companies lacking them as well.

Sami A Nour noted that 32 African countries have e-commerce laws, 23 have data protection laws and 20 have consumer protection laws.

He added that Algeria, Benin, Morocco and Mozambique have partial e-commerce legislation, while several countries lack cybersecurity laws, listing Burundi, Cabo Verde, Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic, Comoros, Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Mali, Malawi, Namibia, Nigeria and Seychelles.

Source: Amwal Al Ghad