E-commerce, a major force in economic production

2023-06-08 09:52:21

Although it has quickly imposed itself on all sectors of activity since the advent of Covid-19, digital technology continues to be an effective means at the service of the global economy. On the strength of the many advantages offered by this commercial process, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and the whole of the World Trade Organization are betting on allowing member countries to benefit from it.

Sylvestre TCHOMAKOU

With more than 900 million more followers, between 2021 and 2022, online commerce, which in 2022 reached more than 17% of total global sales, is on the 4^th revolution, to be the model that applies to promote the World Trade Organization (WTO) to accelerate inclusive economic growth at the state level. At the workshop on electronic commerce held at the WTO on 1^is and June 2, 2023, the organization’s patron, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, convinced that the digital economy is an opportunity for economic growth, job creation and the diversification of trade, recalled the collective responsibility of international organizations to help Members make full use of this tool. Initiated within the framework of the Work Program on Electronic Commerce, this workshop was an opportunity for DG WTO to underline that world exports of services provided digitally increased by 8.1% per year between 2005 and 2022, much more than the 5.6% growth recorded for merchandise exports. This, according to her, shows how important the role of e-commerce is in growth and trade as well as in creating jobs for women and young people. “In 2022, the export value of these services, which cover everything from streaming games to video-delivered consulting services, reached $3.82 trillion, or 12% of total trade in goods and services, up from 8 % a decade earlier,” she explains. According to the WTO boss, “with the relatively slow recovery of tourism and other services requiring cross-border movement of people, digitally delivered services have increased their footprint in global services trade. Last year, this accounted for 54% of total global services exports”. Measuring the contribution of this revolution, which has been reinforced since Covid-19, to the economies of countries, particularly those in the developing world, the WTO and many other organizations have announced various initiatives relating to electronic commerce and programs aimed at help developing economies benefit from digital trade. It should be noted that the urgency for the WTO is to evolve on issues relating to consumer protection, the digital divide, the moratorium on the imposition of customs duties on electronic transmissions and the legal and regulatory frameworks for trade. electronic.

203 Total Views, 40 Views Today

Q. A.



June 8, 2023