World Bank Group Encourages Ecommerce

The World Bank has come out with a new  report “Trade and COVID-19 Guidance Note – Recommendations to leverage e-Commerce during the COVID-19 crisis“ (Discover the full report here,) which highlights a series of 13 steps that government can adopt to foster the use of ecommerce, divided into 3 groups: 

• The first measures aim to help more businesses and households to connect to the digital economy during the crisis. The crisis makes e-commerce a particularly useful asset in the fight against the virus
• The second measures aim to ensure that e-commerce can continue to serve the public in a way that is safe, even during the COVID-19 lockdown. In this crisis time, earning the trust of the public is particularly important for the digital economy.
• The third measures aim to ensure that the government’s ecommerce strategy during the COVID crisis is clearly communicated, implemented and coordinated with other policy measures. Policies need to be well embedded in the country’s overall strategy to fight the pandemic.

EFA was interviewed by the World Bank in preparation for this report.