The Trade Law Centre (tralac) organised a webinar on 25 October 2021 focusing on specific issues policymakers need to address in responding to the challenges and opportunities offered by digital trade in Africa. The basis for the discussion was the book ‘Adapting to the digital trade era: challenges and opportunities’, edited by Maarten Smeets of the World Trade Institute in Bern, who moderated the webinar. The book contains contributions by WTO Chair holders, members of the Advisory Board and WTO Secretariat staff, and explores the impacts of rapid adoption of digital technologies on trade and development and the role of domestic policies and international cooperation in creating a more prosperous and inclusive future.

Based on theory and practice, including lessons learned, speakers from leading African institutions and academia focused on these issues as they pertain to digital trade development and governance in African countries, and offered some suggestions on the way forward.

Programme

Trudi Hartzenberg (Trade Law Centre, tralac): Opening remarks

Moderator: Maarten Smeets, World Trade Institute, Bern

Mustapha Sadni Jallab (WTO Secretariat) and Nassim Oulmane (United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, UNECA): Digital trade in Africa

Leila Baghdadi (University of Tunis, Tunisia): E-commerce and global value chains in Africa

Tabitha Kirigi Nganga (University of Nairobi, Kenya): The case of e-commerce in Kenya

Boopen Seetanah, Varsha Mooneeram-Chadee and Verena Tandrayen Rughoobur (University of Mauritius): The state of play of e-commerce in Mauritius

Wilma Viviers (North-West University, South Africa): Are digital advances and inclusive growth compatible goals?

Stephen Karingi (United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, UNECA): Regulatory approaches to e-commerce in Africa

Q&A

Closing remarks: Trudi Hartzenberg