The Government of Ethiopia and Alibaba Group Sign Agreements to Establish eWTP Ethiopia Hub
November 25 2019 - 3:00AM
Business Wire
Collaboration aims to promote inclusive global
trade, regional commerce, and capacity building
Today H. E. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Alibaba Group
founder Jack Ma, and Alibaba Group Director and Ant Financial
Services Group Chairman and CEO Eric Jing witnessed the signing of
three Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) between the Ethiopian
Government and Alibaba establishing an eWTP Hub in Ethiopia. The
eWTP (electronic world trade platform) Hub is intended to enable
cross-border trade, provide smart logistics and fulfillment
services, assist Ethiopian small and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) to reach China and other markets, and provide talent
training.
Ethiopia aims to build a dynamic and growing digital economy
that contributes significantly to overall economic growth in the
country. eWTP is an Alibaba-led multi-stakeholder global initiative
promoting public-private dialogue in order to support more
inclusive global trade which uses technology and policy innovation
to provide greater opportunities for SMEs, women and youth.
Ethiopia is the second country in Africa to establish an eWTP hub,
and this new partnership builds upon the success of other eWTP
partnerships in Asia (China and Malaysia), Europe (Belgium) and
Africa (Rwanda) over the past two years. As the number of eWTP Hubs
increases, it is hoped that trade will increase between the Hubs,
providing new opportunities for their merchants in the global
economy.
H. E. Minister for Innovation and Technology Getahun Mekuria
said: “Today’s signing of the Ethiopia eWTP Hub is an important
step in the development of a digital economy in Ethiopia. This
engagement will greatly contribute to trade facilitation and open
markets to SMEs not only in Ethiopia but in the wider region. We
look forward to continue working with Alibaba Group and CCCI to
realize the objectives of the platform which has the potential to
transform the lives of many.”
“It is an honor to partner with the government of Ethiopia to
establish the eWTP Ethiopia Hub,” said Eric Jing, Alibaba Group
Director and Ant Financial Services Group Chairman and CEO. “We
will continue to support the creation of a more inclusive,
digitally-enabled global economy, where small businesses can
participate in global trade. We look forward to working together
with entrepreneurs and SMEs from Ethiopia and other African nations
to seize the opportunities provided by the digital era.”
The first major initiative for the eWTP partnership in Ethiopia
will be the development of a multifunction digital trade hub to
serve as a gateway for Ethiopian products to China, a center for
cross-border e-commerce and trade within Africa, and a training
center. China Commodities City International (CCCI) will partner
with Alibaba in the development of the eWTP Hub. The Alibaba
Business School will implement the capacity building and training
portion of the partnership which consists of a number of programs,
including specialized programs for Ethiopian entrepreneurs,
business leaders and university lecturers.
The vision of eWTP is to develop new partnerships, technology
and policies to enable more inclusive global trade. The eWTP
initiative was accepted as a major policy recommendation of the
Business 20 (B20) and officially included in the 2016 G20 Summit
Leaders’ Communique.
About Alibaba Group
Alibaba Group’s mission is to make it easy to do business
anywhere. The company aims to build the future infrastructure of
commerce. It envisions that its customers will meet, work and live
at Alibaba, and that it will be a company that lasts at least 102
years.
About the Ministry of Innovation and Technology,
Ethiopia
The Ministry of Innovation, led by H. E. Minister Getahun
Mekuria, aims to foster innovation and a technology enabled
ecosystem that will lead Ethiopia to prosperity.
View source
version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191125005273/en/
Alibaba Group Maja Hauke International
Corporate Affairs maja.hauke@alibaba-inc.com 0044 7534 016659
Alibaba (NYSE:BABA)
Historical Stock Chart
From Aug 2024 to Sep 2024
Alibaba (NYSE:BABA)
Historical Stock Chart
From Sep 2023 to Sep 2024