China and Africa have Strengthened the Cooperation in Digital Economy Area During the Pandemic
NEWS AGENCY：
Xinhua News Agency
DATE OF NEWS:
September 27, 2021
Africa has been accelerating digital transformation since the outbreak of COVID-19 and the continent is now a hotspot for rapid growth of mobile payment, electronic commerce, remote work and online education. The booming internet market is offering more opportunities for cooperation between Africa and China as both are at the forefront of the world's digital evolution.
In Kenya, the telecommunications service provider, Safaricom PLC, registered a 39.8 percent year-on-year growth in active 4G devices and a 43.7 percent rise in homes connected for fiber-to-the-home service between April 2020 and March 2021. As the number of active electronic device users significantly increased during the pandemic, more and more African companies have enhanced investment in mobile communication, electronic commerce and other related industries.
A report jointly produced by Google and the International Finance Corporation estimates that the value of Africa’s internet economy will reach 180 billion U.S. dollars by 2025, accounting for 5.2 percent of the continent’s gross domestic product (GDP). By 2050, the market size could potentially grow to 712 billion dollars, or 8.5 percent of GDP. The report concluded that in the long term, Africa is poised to become one of the most promising digital economy markets in the world.
As China has achieved great progress in the development of e-commerce in recent years, the cooperation between Africa and China on the digital economy has intensified. For example, Cainiao Smart Logistics Network, the logistics arm of Chinese electronic commerce giant Alibaba Group, launched an air cargo route between China and Nigeria in June, marking its first China-Africa air freight service. Also, Huang Meibo, president of the Institute of International Development Cooperation, Shanghai University of International Business and Economics, said that Chinese enterprises have gained a considerable market share in the e-commerce market in Africa.
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