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Sikhulekelani Moyo, [email protected]

ACADEMIC institutions should keep abreast with global technological developments and align their skills training to assist the speedy adoption of electronic (e) trade, which is seen as a game-changer in transforming the economy.

In an interview on the sidelines of the recently held United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) E-Trade Readiness Assessment of Zimbabwe national stakeholder workshop in Bulawayo, Lupane State University (LSU) economist and lecturer, Ms Pretty Nyathi, said skills development should anchor the shift to e-trading. 

“Academics has to be integrated as we need to provide skills development because there are so many people who will require a skill generally on conducting trade, trade assessment, online trading and how to identify a market,” said Ms Nyathi.

“All this is information that is necessary for an ordinary e-trade user and businesses and again also aligning academic programmes to what the current trends are moving,” she said.

“We need to realign so that we respond to the demands of the market, but generally e-trade is a good initiative, but we need to also look into issues to do with Intellectual Property Rights because you find most businesses lose out because of counterfeits.”

The workshop was a culmination of the engagement with UNCTAD last year in December when the Ministry of Industry and Commerce participated in the UNCTAD e-Week in Geneva, Switzerland. Last week’s event brought together key stakeholders such as the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe, Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries, Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce and relevant Government ministries.

In his remarks at a similar programme in Harare last week, Industry and Commerce Minister, Mangaliso Ndlovu, said the protection of consumer rights was critical to foster trust in an online trading environment.

He stressed the need to enrich the digital space by retooling major facets of the economy to bring about the requisite agility, resilience and to deliver greater efficiencies across all value chains.

Former ZNCC vice president for Matabeleland Chamber, Mr Louise Herbst, said technologically, Zimbabwe is ready but there is a need to sort out a few issues to activate what is already available.

He said the business community and consumers are not yet ready for the adoption of e-trade where he said there are a lot of things that need to be put in place.

Some of the issues mentioned by Mr Herbst include policies that protect both businesses and consumers in terms of e-trade and the creation of consumer confidence and trust.

“E-commerce migrates from artificial intelligence and cyber security, to protect the consumer and the businesses,” he said.

“The other thing is transport. We need to look into the logistics and transportation and see how we can improve that and offer safety and security for products and thirdly we have to make sure that network access outreach gets to both urban and rural communities and affordability of data.

“In as far as technology is concerned, Zimbabwe is ready technologically to take it to the next level, which is consumer education.”

According to the Postal and Telecommunication Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (Potraz), Zimbabwe would establish 32 Community Information Centres in different rural communities and some are already functional.

He said the information centres would capacitate rural counterparts with basic skills to utilise electronic gadgets for the success of the business.

The electronic commerce drive comes at a time when Zimbabwe’s mobile penetration has reached 97,5 percent with about 14,9 million active subscribers, 70,1 percent Internet penetration, 310 000 active lines on fixed networks and smart home penetration seats at 65 percent. — @SikhulekelaniM1