ECOWAS, AfCFTA host first workshop on digital capacity
The ECOWAS Commission and GIZ African Union Support Programme to the African Continental Free Trade (AfCFTA), have held the first virtual regional workshop on “Capacity building for Digital Trade for the AfCFTA E-Commerce Agenda”.
The workshop which was held on Monday 13th September 2021, was to further build the capacity of relevant stakeholders to effectively negotiate the E-Commerce Protocol, which forms part of the Agreement on the AfCFTA.
The workshop provided background on e-commerce in the region, as well as considered the negotiations on e-commerce and digital trade in multiple fora.
The Director of Bilateral, Regional and Multilateral Trade at the Ministry of Trade and Industry of the Republic of Ghana, Mr. Mickson OPOKU, chaired the meeting.
He expressed appreciation to ECOWAS Commission and GIZ for organizing the workshop and encouraged participants to seize upon the opportunity to enhance their understanding of e-commerce challenges and opportunities in the region, which will inform their common positions in the AfCFTA e-Commerce negotiations.
Mr. Tei KONZI, ECOWAS Commissioner of Trade, Customs and Free Movement, represented by Mr. Kolawole Sofola, Acting Director of Trade, highlighted regional initiatives to boost the adoption and utilization of e-commerce in the region, including the ongoing development of a regional eCommerce Strategy.