IORMA Webinar: Ecommerce in Africa – The Opportunities
3 June 2021
According to IORMA South Africa, fashion and beauty products sold via Ecommerce rose by 27% globally in 2020; in South Africa by 30%; in Nigeria by 44%; Ghana by 47% and Kenya a staggering 82%.
Ecommerce in Africa was valued at 16.5 billion dollars in 2017, but McKinsey estimates the value could well go up to 75 billion dollars by 2025. These predictions are optimistic and enticing, but are they realistic? Is the infrastructure adequate to support this growth?
IORMA has drawn together experts with a knowledge of Ecommerce across Africa to seek the facts behind the statistics.
A video of this Webinar appears below.
Moderator – Juliana Olayinka, Presenter, Channels Television, Nigeria
Director, IORMA Africa
Juliana is a broadcast journalist bolstering the African narrative from within the diaspora. She has contributed to output in the world’s leading newsrooms including Bloomberg, BBC, Thomson Reuters and ITN. Currently Juliana is the host of the weekly Business show ‘Channels Business Global’ airing on Channels Television, Nigeria’s largest network. Juliana joined the IORMA Board in 2019.
Contributors
Dylan Piatti, Managing Director Africa: Advantage Group International
Dylan is leading the growth & development of Advantage Group International in Africa, having previously been with Deloitte Africa’s Retail, Consumer and Manufacturing team. He has over 17 years’ experience working in start-ups, SMME’s and corporates. As Ex Board Chair of the Ecommerce Forum Africa, he led the international strategy and growth of the organisation, representing over 55 companies.
He represents Africa on the Global DTN (Digital Trade Network, sponsored by the ICC), and has presented at, and led Executive Private Sector & Government sessions in Africa, Europe and the US. In December 2018 he realised an ambition in constituting the 1st Pan-African Digital CEO Forum with 22 execs, from 15 companies representing 11 Countries.
Shay Hamilton, CEO, Tola Mobile Ltd
Shay joined the Oxygen8 Group in 2013 as Group CTO before becoming CEO of Tola Mobile in 2019. Tola aggregates mobile wallet connectivity enabling merchants to offer e-commerce propositions within the continent via a single payment API. Tola’s technology has processed more than 500m transactions equating to funds worth over $300m. Tola’s ambition is to connect to every wallet in Africa, thereby allowing Tola merchants to transact with as many wallet consumers as possible.
Damali Ssali, Trade Development Expert, TradeMark East Africa
Damali Ssali is a Ugandan Afro-optimist, an Advisory Board Member of the African Council for Trade, Tourism, and Investment (AfCOTTI), and a member of the Africa List. Her range of expertise includes financial services, trade policy, technology, innovation and entrepreneurship.
Sammy Thuita, E-Commerce Business Development Manager, DHL Express
Since 2016, Sammy has been Ecommerce Business Development Manager at DHL Express Africa which prides itself as the leading global provider tailor making solutions for e-commerce logistics of international courier and express services for B2B and B2C customers, covering more than 220 countries and territories.
Bolaji Sofoluwe, Managing Director, ETK Group Ltd
ETK is a leading consultancy for African market entry and African business growth. As Managing Director, Bolaji has a proven track record of strategically positioning businesses—from start-ups to established corporates—to thrive within complex African markets. Her focus has been helping these companies overcome the challenges of the unique business landscape of the continent; achieving scale while developing mutually beneficial relationships.
Alastair Tempest, CEO, ECommerce Forum, Africa
Alastair Tempest runs the independent not-for-profit ECommerce Forum Africa. Its objective is to promote the orderly development of ecommerce throughout Africa and ensure Africa’s ecommerce voice is heard on the world stage.
He started his career at the CBI and Independent Television, worked for the European Advertising Agencies Association and has led a number of associations in the field including the Federation of European Direct Marketing (FEDIM) and the Federation of European Direct & Interactive Marketing (FEDMA).
Abigail Bundi, Founder and CEO, Amari Consulting
Abigail is based in Nairobi where she founded Amari Consulting which is a full service e-commerce agency helping African businesses harness the power of the internet. Amari offers project management, consultancy and training services in e-commerce strategy, online branding and digital marketing.
For more information about IORMA’s series of webinars and the opportunities to speak in and sponsor, go to IORMA Events