Next Generation Trade Facilitation
Next Generation Trade Facilitation Read More »
ECA
African women’s report 2021: digital finance ecosystems: pathways to women’s economic empowerment in Africa
The present report contains a systematic analysis that sheds light on each component of digital finance and on how the components are linked with gender equality and women’s economic empowerment. It addresses five key challenges that limit the use of digital finance to promote women’s empowerment in Africa. The first challenge is the region’s lack of an enabling environment for digital connectivity, with a lower rate of mobile and Internet usage than other global regions, despite mobile money services being far more common than on any other continent. The second is the shortage of prerequisite skills in digital and financial literacy, with only around 12 per cent of women possessing digital finance-related information and communications technology (ICT) skills, a figure that is below the global average. The third challenge is that women face greater exclusion from conventional financial institutions and products, with only 33 per cent of women holding a formal bank account, compared with 43 per cent of men. The fourth challenge is that barriers persist, especially social and cultural norms within financial practices, products and services. The final challenge is that women are still not equally represented in relevant decision-making bodies in the digital and financial sectors and in related institutions.
Digital trade regulatory integration Country profile : Chad
The development of digital trade and its associated challenges have led States to develop new regulations to bring the legislative framework into line with these issues. The purpose of these regulations is to promote digital trade, attract foreign investment, secure the protection of personal data and ensure the sound and transparent application of international conventions to which Chad is a signatory. This report provides a profile of digital regulation in Chad, based on the information collected as input for the two indices. Sections 2 and 3 summarize the main results for the digital services trade restrictiveness index and the regional digital trade integration index, respectively. Section 4 puts forward recommendations on improving the regulatory environment for digital trade in Chad.
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Digital trade regulatory integration: country profile Ghana
The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, through the African Trade Policy Centre, carried out a training and research initiative to capture the extent to which countries in Africa integrate digital trade in national legislation and regulations and to throw light on digital trade in Africa. In this framework, two data sets on digital trade regulatory integration were compiled for Ghana. The first focuses on digital services trade restrictions modelled on the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development digital services trade restrictiveness index, while the second concerns measures that relate to digital trade integration. The objective was to ascertain whether the various measures promote or hinder digital trade in Ghana as the success or failure of Ghana in digital trade depends on its digital regulatory environment and openness. This country profile provides key findings and recommendations on the measures examined in Ghana.
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Existential priorities for the African Continental Free Trade Area
This book aims to guide and assist implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) over the next 10 years. Each chapter considers a key area, raises issues for attention and points to possible ways forward. The introduction highlights the progress as of the end of 2021 in operationalizing and implementing the AfCFTA, while identifying the developmental challenges and existential threats ahead. The systems approach requires actions at the national, regional, continental and global levels. It involves continuous learning as a pivotal tenet of socioeconomic transformation and improvement. Lessons learned are continuously brought to bear on policy formulation and implementation. The Book has three parts. Part one has five framing chapters: Africa in the world, the architecture for Africa’s regional integration, two publics, economic integration, and from ratification to implementation. Part two covers energy costs, textiles and clothing, women and youth in trade, and the free movement of people. Part three considers digitalization, technology and innovation, and public health as critical areas during the next 10 years.
“Mangeni, Francis; Atta-Mensah, Joseph; United Nations. Economic Commission for Africa (2022). Existential priorities for the African Continental Free Trade Area. Addis Ababa :. © UN. ECA,. https://hdl.handle.net/10855/47860”
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Shedding New Light on the Evolving Regulatory Framework for Digital Services Trade
Digital services trade is on the rise but so are regulatory barriers. With expanded country coverage, especially in Asia, Africa and Latin America, the OECD Digital Services Trade Restrictiveness Index now provides wider and deeper insight into barriers affecting digital trade.
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