Presentation of the Initiative to Establish a Continental E-Commerce Ecosystem

"The Minister recalled that the Continental Digital Trade Ecosystem is one of Burundi’s priorities during its Presidency of the African Union and is aligned with the country’s Vision 2040–2060. Conceived as a federation of national ecosystems, it aims to ensure interoperability among their various sectoral groups and establish the operational conditions necessary for an integrated African market. It therefore serves as a complementary mechanism for implementing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), helping to overcome constraints arising from the limited interconnection of physical infrastructure between African countries and facilitating the practical development of intra-African trade."

"The Federal Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Burundi (CFCIB) emphasized the importance of mobilizing economic stakeholders in establishing the Continental eCommerce Ecosystem to facilitate cross-border trade and expand African businesses’ access to markets across the continent. It also expressed its commitment to contributing to the security and reliability of these transactions, particularly through the establishment of a specialized arbitration mechanism for e-commerce and related disputes. This initiative aims to strengthen the trust e-commerce transactions and support the development of digital trade within the framework of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)."

"The Continental E-Commerce Ecosystem provides an operational framework that complements the AfCFTA Protocol on Digital Trade. While the Protocol establishes the legal framework to promote digital trade in Africa, the Ecosystem is intended to facilitate its practical implementation by interconnecting national ecosystems through the interoperability of platforms, payment systems, logistics chains, regulatory frameworks, and arbitration mechanisms.

This approach will enable African businesses, particularly micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), to access markets across the continent more easily, conduct cross-border transactions, and expand their trade, thereby contributing to the realization of a single African digital market."

"The Director General of Burundi ICT Regulator (ARCT) stated that Burundi’s National E-Commerce Ecosystem has already been established and that efforts must now focus on making it fully operational. He expressed the hope that this national experience would serve as a model for developing similar ecosystems across the continent.

To this end, he called on the institutions concerned to accelerate the implementation of the actions falling within their respective mandates, with a view to operationalizing Burundi’s ecosystem ahead of the launch of the continental initiative and positioning Burundi as a reference point for this pan-African undertaking."