UNECA to hold conference on Africa's digital trade

ADDIS ABABA, May 22 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) on Tuesday emphasized exploring opportunities of digital trade within the context of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

The UNECA said it has arranged a high-level conference "Digital Trade in Africa: Implications for Inclusion and Human Rights" next week.

The event, scheduled from May 31 to June 1 at the headquarters of the UNECA in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa, is expected to feature dialogues between high-level experts on digital trade in Africa.

According to the UN, e-commerce opportunities are opening up multi-sector access to new markets, consumers and products in Africa, with e-commerce sales on the continent expected to reach between 50 billion U.S. dollars and 75 billion dollars per year within the next five to ten years.

The African Union (AU), which also promotes digital trade as a means to flourish trading, had last year launched the dotAfrica (.africa) internet domain, a digital trading platform designed to create a unique online identity to bring products, services and information under one umbrella throughout the continent.

Representatives from the AU, civil society organizations, regional economic communities, academia, international organizations, private sector actors, and women and youth representatives are said to be part of the meeting next week, according to the UNECA. Enditem