She
was
speaking
at
the
workshop
on
E-Commerce
Marketing
and
Business
Development
Strategies
for
the
African
Continental
Free
Trade
Area
(AfCFTA)
and
Global
Markets
convened
by
the
United
Nations
Economic
Commission
for
Africa
(ECA),
through
its
African
Institute
for
Economic
Development
and
Planning
(IDEP)
and
its
Sub-Regional
Office
for
Southern
Africa
(SROSA)
and
funded
by
the
Government
of
Italy.
The
overall
objective
of
the
workshop
was
to
strengthen
the
skills
of
participants
from
Malawi,
Zambia
and
Zimbabwe
to
leverage
e-trade
opportunities
in
the
context
of
AfCFTA.
Mr.
Enrico
de
Agostini,
Ambassador
of
Italy
in
Zambia
reiterated
the
importance
of
capacity
building
of
entrepreneurs
in
the
region
to
ensure
sustainable
development.
Ms.
Beatrice
Mutali,
United
Nations
Resident
Coordinator,
speaking
on
behalf
of
the
UN
family
in
Zambia
underscored
the
importance
of
partnerships
between
governments,
international
partners,
private
sector
and
the
UN
to
address
the
gaps
in
digital
trade
such
as
infrastructure,
connectivity
to
payment
systems
and
regulatory
frameworks.
The
Director
of
ECA
Subregional
office
for
Southern
Africa,
Ms.
Eunice
Kamwendo,
in
her
opening
remarks,
emphasised
the
efforts
of
ECA
in
implementing
innovative
and
practical
initiatives
in
order
to
better
support
member
states.
An
example
of
which
is
this
e-commerce
training
that
was
intended
to
provide
strategic
and
practical
tools
necessary
to
unlock
opportunities
in
the
e-commerce
space
under
the
AfCFTA
and
in
global
markets.
She
further
noted
that,
the
AfCFTA,
with
its
promise
of
a
US$3.4
trillion
single
market,
presents
ECA
and
its
partners
with
a
unique
platform
to
reimagine
value
chains,
promote
innovation,
and
stimulate
sustainable
growth
driven
by
the
private
sector.
“At
ECA,
we
believe
that
digitalization
when
guided
by
inclusive
policies
and
backed
by
the
right
skills
can
bridge
development
gaps,
unlock
new
markets,
and
catalyze
youth
employment”.
To
complement
the
training
ECA-SROSA
experts
presented
on
the
AfCFTA
and
initiatives
related
to
the
implementation
of
the
AfCFTA
Agreement.
Ms.
Zodwa
Mabuza,
Chief
Sub-Regional
Initiatives
outlined
the
protocol
on
digital
trade
indicating
that
it
helps
harmonize
rules
to
boost
Africa’s
digital
economy,
cutting
cross-border
e-commerce
costs,
building
trust,
and
supporting
Small
and
Medium
Enterprises.
Ms.
Bineswaree
Bolaky,
Economic
Affairs
Officer
presented
on
the
AfCFTA,
its
rationale
and
instruments,
and
on
ECA’s
work
on
AfCFTA,
e-commerce
and
digital
trade
including
outlining
ECA’s
support
to
member
States
on
developing
their
National
AfCFTA
Strategies
and
Green
Supplements
to
these
strategies.
Mr.
Henry
Lubinda,
Programme
Officer
gave
an
overview
of
SRO-SA’s
major
areas
of
support
to
member
States
such
as
inclusive
industrialization,
green
transitions,
enhanced
food
systems
and
AfCFTA-led
trade
in
Southern
Africa.
The
training
consisting
of
6
sessions,
was
facilitated
by
Mr.
Fabio
Santoni
ASeS-CeFor,
the
implementing
partner
of
the
project
funded
by
Italy.
Participants
were
trained
through
scenarios
and
business
simulation
techniques.
At
the
closing
of
the
workshop,
certificates
were
remitted
to
participants
by
Mr.
Aime
Mbatkam,
coordinator
of
the
project
at
ECA’s
training
arm,
the
African
Institute
for
Economic
Development
and
Planning.
This
collaborative
initiative
between
ECA
and
the
Government
of
Italy
aimed
at
supporting
Member
states
through
a
capacity
building
programme
for
the
effective
implementation
of
the
AfCFTA
Agreement.
Under
Phase
2,
Cameroon,
Democratic
Republic
of
Congo,
Gabon,
Malawi,
Mauritania,
Zambia,
and
Zimbabwe
benefitted
from
(i)
an
assessment
of
e-trade
readiness
and
(ii)
a
capacity
needs
assessment
of
stakeholders
for
AfCFTA
implementation.
These
studies
informed
the
design
of
the
online
training
courses
that
were
subseuqently
delivered.