Posts by Alastair Tempest
The Cost of Internet in Africa Remains Stubbornly High
According to the UN, internet access is considered affordable when the cost of a gig is less than 2% of gross monthly income. However, on the African continent, data prices…
Read MoreNews From Africa
The Department of Communications and Digital Technology Continues its Consultation on a National Policy on Data and Cloud The DCDT is to hold a final round of discussions on the…
Read MoreTrial of New Twitter Ecommerce Tool
Twitter will launch a pilot in the US aimed at testing the potential for ecommerce on its platform. The company is introducing a new “Shop Module” that offers brands, businesses…
Read MoreNew EU VAT Rules Apply as of 1 July 2021
The most relevant measures of the VAT Ecommerce Package are: Removal of the existing ‘Distance Selling Thresholds’ and extension of the VAT One Stop Shop system to ecommerce distance selling. Removal of…
Read MoreThe Chinese Continue to Crack Down on “Unacceptable” Capitalist Behaviour
Last month we reported on Beijing’s crack down on Didi, following its IPO on the New York Stock Market. The next target has been privately owned academies and teaching establishments…
Read MoreContinuing European Legal Moves against Big Tech, and Zoom Faces Problems in California
Amazon was hit with an $886.6m fine for breaking European Union data protection laws on 16 July. The fine was issued by Luxembourg’s National Commission for Data Protection (CNPD), which…
Read MoreMiscellaneous
UNCTAD Calls for more Global Cooperation to Enforce Competition Within the Digital Economy As online platforms are global in nature, more regional and international cooperation is needed for effective enforcement…
Read MoreAfrica’s Ecommerce Potential
According to a new report by GSMA (the global association for cellphones) and the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), ecommerce in Central Africa lags behind other regions but can progress…
Read MoreAn Ecommerce Strategy for Africa
The African Union held a 2 day conference last week on a draft strategy for ecommerce prepared by a consultant from India. The 198 page paper is extremely detailed and…
Read MoreEFSA Launches its Privacy Guidance’s For Ecommerce
EFSA has put up on our website (https://ecomafrica.org/) a FAQ on the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) as well as a series of ‘fireside chats’ moderated by Warrick Kernes…
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