Research ICT Africa is attending The Africa eCommerce Week in Nairobi jointly organised by the African Union and the European Union. The event is hosted by the Government of Kenya and implemented in collaboration with partners of the eTrade for all initiative. Our Executive Director, Dr. Alison Gillwald and Senior Researcher, Dr Onkokame Mothobi will be participating. Two RIA sessions coordinated in collaboration with UNCTAD will feature at the meeting.
Catch Alison Gillwald in the following sessions:
Expanding access to affordable and reliable ICT Infrastructure and services
10:00 AM – 1:00 PM, Wed, 12, Dec, 2018
Room 2
The objective of the session is to discuss the key components of the ICT infrastructure required to support E-COMMERCE and its multifaceted character, the landscape of connectivity in Africa region, emerging technical and policy challenges to connect the rural communities that in Africa constitutes more than half of the population as well as opportunities and risks emanating from new trends such as the ‘Internet of everything’ and over-the-top services (OTT).
The session will cover some of the following topics:
- Overview of infrastructure developments in the continent, challenges and gaps.
- ICT policy and regulatory aspects when dealing with OTTs, IoTs, E-Commerce, Mobile Finance and other similar applications.
- Universal Service Funds, Infrastructure Sharing and other initiatives used to reduce the gaps.
Taxation in the digital economy: trends and implications for Africa
3:00 PM – 4:30 PM, Wed, 12, Dec, 2018
Room 13
This session will discuss the taxation policies of African governments in relation to companies or industries that provide digital services.
The session will cover some of the following topics:
- Reviewing recent taxation trends related to the digital economy in African countries.
- Special attention will be given to the taxation of mobile money.
- How can governments design tax policies that both generate much needed government revenue and at the same time spur growth and development of the digital sector?
In collaboration with UNCTAD and Research ICT Africa
Catch Onkokame Mothobi in the following session:
The need for statistics to measure the development impact of digitalization
3:00 PM – 4:30 PM, Thu, 13, Dec, 2018
Room 3
This session will discuss the insights that can be provided by the collection of statistics concerning the digital economy in Africa, which supports decision-making by policy-makers and other stakeholders. It will highlight recent work that has been done in this area by UNCTAD, Research ICT Africa, and others active in this area, and will consider ways in which the availability of data in Africa can be increased
The session will cover some of the following topics:
- Current status of measuring e-commerce and the digital economy in Africa.
- Initiatives to measure ICT use, e-commerce and the digital economy in Africa.
- Country perspectives on these statistics, and the kinds of support from the international community that would be helpful to them.
In collaboration with UNCTAD and Research ICT Africa
“Under the theme “Empowering African Economies in the Digital Era, the Africa eCommerce Week will examine ways to enhance the ability of African countries to engage in and benefit from e-commerce and the evolving digital economy.
The event will bring together Ministers, other senior government representatives, the private sector, civil society and international organizations for a week-long dialogue to identify innovative ways for shaping the African digital economy. The programme will include: high-level segments, thematic sessions, various workshops or “labs” on cutting edge technologies in collaboration with business; as well as a space for external public and private partners to convene and network.” – Africa E Commerce Week
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