Senegal’s e-commerce sector helps country cope with COVID-19

In response to the COVID-19 lockdown, the Senegalese government is promoting e-commerce and the delivery of key supplies by accelerating the adoption of e-commerce policies and reforms. To this aim, the trade ministry launched an e-commerce platform that provides easy access to websites of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that sell essential goods. The platform further provides contact details of various e-commerce operators aiming to establish a national consortium of e-commerce operators that would be open to all producers and merchants. ‘We want to ensure people have access to the things they need to ride out this crisis. We are also developing an ecosystem favourable to e-commerce and local production,’ highlighted Senegalese Trade Minister Assome Aminata Diatta. Similarly, the government is reviewing the legal framework and has drafted a personal data protection bill for parliamentary review. It additionally kicked off new e-government initiatives such as Smart Senegal, which promotes the use of digital technology to enhance socio-economic development.