The Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) on Thursday, February 25 launched an Ecommerce Booster Program targeting at least 2000 Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs).

The program will be realized through funding from the European Union and UK’s Foreign Commonwealth Development Office.

TradeMark East Africa, a leading aid for trade regional body in East Africa will support the program, while the technical support for this program is being provided by Amari Consulting Ltd.

Types of businesses targeted

Businesses with little or no digital presence are being targeted for training and on-boarding to e-commerce platforms to ensure MSMEs can increase and diversify their revenue streams during this period of COVID-19 pandemic.

As COVID-19 pandemic continues to cause disruptions in the global and regional value chains, it has become clear that e-commerce is an important tool and solution for businesses and
consumers.

E-commerce can support small businesses in reducing their costs and effectively reaching their customers; it is an economic driver for both domestic growth and international
trade thus making economies more competitive.

Challenges to be solved

The COVID-19 pandemic has occasioned a spike in business-to-consumer (B2C) online sales and an increase in Business-to-Business (B2B) e-commerce.

The increase in B2C sales is particularly evident in online sales of medical supplies, household essentials and food products.

As a result, attention has been drawn to several challenges hindering the full potential of e-commerce across countries.

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These include price gouging, product safety concerns, deceptive practices, weak delivery logistics, cyber security concerns, exceptionally low consumer digital trust, low basic ICT knowledge by businesses and customers, weak interoperability of payment systems, the need for increased bandwidth, universal connectivity and affordability of internet, and development-related concerns.

The six month long initiative will build the capacity of MSMEs to engage in e-commerce and digital marketing as well as create linkages for domestic and cross-border trade.

Source: The Exchange