As a regional pioneer with a vision to create world class digital infrastructure, Rwanda becomes the first country in Africa to establish an eWTP hub. The eWTP is a multi-stakeholder global initiative to enable small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to participate in cross-border electronic trade.

 President Kagame said, “The Electronic World Trade Platform opens up new frontiers in e-commerce and tourism for Rwanda, and will also boost the capacity and competitiveness of our entrepreneurs and businesspeople. Rwandan producers will be able to sell directly to a much larger set of customers than before, while bypassing costly intermediaries. This improves productivity and profitability. There really are no downsides to doing business on a global scale."

 Mr. Jack Ma, Founder and Executive Chairman of Alibaba Group noted, “I am delighted that Rwanda is the first eWTP partner in Africa, and I look forward to the development of an innovative digital economy here. Entrepreneurs in Rwanda, and elsewhere in Africa, are ready to seize the opportunities offered by the digital economy. It is up to all of us to help them succeed.”

With more than half a billion consumers, Alibaba is the world’s largest online commerce company. Several brands of Rwandan single origin coffee are already available for sale on Alibaba’s Tmall Global platform and the company will promote tourism to Rwanda on its travel platform.