He lamented that even though trade was the second leading economic venture in the region, many of the businesses were restricted mostly to residents within the region and few loyal customers outside of the region.

Mr Dery believed a holistic blend of traditional business with E-commerce through advertisement on the internet would open up businesses in the region to the outside world, and more particularly to the international market for better sales and good returns.

Mr Dery who is also a lecturer in the Faculty of Public Policy and Governance at the Simon DiedongDombo University of Business and Integrated Development Studies (SDD-UBIDS) made this known at the 4^th Start Up Summit at Wa by the Yison Tech Hub.

The summit was to afford young people who had undergone months of digital incubation the opportunity to present proposals on business ideas they had prepared to help tackle societal problems using information and communications technology (ICT).

According to the board chair of the Tech Hub, E-commerce had the ability to invigorate local economies by generating employment and stimulating economic growth.

“In the next few years, E-commerce will grow to become a major driver of economic growth, with the potential to create millions of jobs, and transform centuries old industries because the rise of social media has allowed consumers to share their experiences with friends and families and creating an almost instant viral effect,” he said.

He maintained that the success of E-commerce had been closely linked to the development of technologies that had simplified buying experience, and limited the act to the click of the button.

In all of this advancement, the lecturer expressed, however, that it was still difficult accessing certain businesses in the region online and said many of owners did not own business websites or social media handles where they could advertise their wares to the outside world.

“These days, prospective buyers log on to the internet and begin to search for items they need so if businesses in the region have not taken advantage of the platform, then they are losing out,” he said.

He explained that due to E-commerce, the percentage of retail spending online had increased tremendously in recent years with no signs of slowing down and encouraged business people in the region to take advantage of the platform and open up their clientele base.

“E-commerce is beneficial to the economy as it saves time and cost in sourcing for goods and services and small enterprises who are taking advantage of the digital space without necessarily owning a physical shop were contributing tremendously to the economy of the country and reducing job creation,” he mentioned and called on business owners in the region to make use of the digital space on their mobile phones to enhance their income.