Africa's Potential for e-commerce

[merensy]

Africa has always been seen as a continent that has never quite been able to keep up with the rest of the world. but currently the continent is changing so rapidly right before ours eyes. It is gradually entering the information age. There is now increased acceptance of the fact that the world is becoming a global marketplace and since Africa has so much to offer why not join the ballgame too?
Investors and business men should expand there horizons. Countries such as Kenya are now beginning to appreciate technology and what it can do to simplify tasks. Online banking is now provided in some banks, one can apply for a job online too!
Ecommerce is essentially the next step.
However, the is natural skepticism about the safety of online transactions, this, though, is a hurdle that a sensible business man would be able to overcome. any suggestions?

[astonety]

ddd

Dear merensy

How are you.I am China business man.I want to find some good ecommerce website and forum.Could you recommend me some of them?

Thanks in advance

[merensy]

hello well i'd suggest e-bay.com. but for stuff likeacademic books and all forms of literature i'd go for amazon.com. try them out!! as for e-commerce forums i think this one is quite nice ;)

[astonety]

Thank you for your kind help.

[paulcgs]

Hey merensy, I agree africa is expanding digitally and becoming more acceptable for businesses to locate. I been in africa many times I have seen the progression at work and it is quite amazing for example Accra in Ghana is a prime example of modern expansion, in some places it litterally looks like the USA. Now this implies affluence and advancement. But I fully agree with you there is still the nagging thought of safety especially with digital money. I think this is due to the deep-seated impression that in third-world areas corruption is rife, and it is perhaphs true, we can only hope things get better. In the meantime as an entrepreneur you need to as you put it "get over this hurdle" I am not too sure what I can advise but I think the main precautions are a given: 1. Try and link yourself with a reputable bank, preferable a western bank that is located in the african country. 2. When dealing with online transactions wait till the money has actually cleared the account before you dispatch the order. 3. Shift your money to a secure location ie if you are e-commercing with another bank out there shift the money to a western bank where it is perhaps more secure. 4. Only accept certain types of payment, eg avoid cheques and stick to online credit cards and so on where you can see the money in universal terms (eg rather than arguing in a different country with a different language over a cheque that has bounced.)

I am sure you already know about the above but its always worth realising again. I would actually like to set something up in africa but I am not too sure what I can do. I think it takes a degree of planning. What are you planning to do??

Well I wish you luck

Paul