Posts by Alastair Tempest
The EU plans the revision of its Ecommerce Directive
The European institutions are gearing up for the revision of the 2000 Ecommerce Directive. The Directive has contributed to what is now known as the platform economy in the Single…
Read MoreImportant Announcement from the EU – Taxes and Imports
As of 1st January 2021, the EU will change its rules for imposing VAT on imports from outside the Union. Presently items of under Eur 150 could be imported free…
Read MoreThe Size of Africa’s Ecommerce Market by E-platforms
One session which attracted a lot of interest during the UNCTAD event was a report for the International Trade Centre (ITC) from the University of Amsterdam (Netherlands). The study looked…
Read MoreUNCTAD’s 2020 Ecommerce Week Online
I attended 10 of the 15 online webinars held in the week of 27 April. There was a lot of fascinating information, and the new Secretary-General of the African Free…
Read MoreEcommerce sales: Top ten economies in 2018
Source: UNCTAD, based on national sources. Note: Figures in italics are UNCTAD estimates. The leading B2C ecommerce companies are based mostly in China and the United States. The world’s top…
Read MoreSouth Africa Institute of International Affairs – two new papers on the digital Economy and the African Free Trade Area
Opinion piece- https://saiia.org.za/research/renewed-urgency-to-implement-the-african-continental-free-trade-area-how-can-africa-prepare-for-a-post-covid-19-world/ Draft report (final version will be published in mid-May) – https://saiia.org.za/research/the-digital-economy-and-e-commerce-in-africa-drivers-for-the-african-free-trade-area/ Please feel free to share these papers.
Read MoreCOVID-19 Scams on the increase
The pandemic has caused a flood of unfair, misleading and abusive business practices, hitting consumers hard and leaving the most vulnerable ones more disadvantaged. The main issue is price gouging…
Read MoreCOVID Attacks African Economies
African finance ministers, co-chaired by SA Finance Minister Tito Mboweni and Ken Ofori-Atta of Ghana, have asked the International Monetary Fund, World Bank and EU for bilateral, multilateral and commercial…
Read MoreEcommerce and Lockdown Level 4
SA moved to Level 4 on 1 May. This allows a limited opening up of the economy. Government has set up Committees to draft the rules and EFSA is representing…
Read MoreThe Digital Economy and Ecommerce in Africa: Drivers for the African Free Trade Area?
The digital economy and ecommerce are developing fast in Africa. The forthcoming implementation of the African free trade area (AfCFTA) will encourage intra-African trade. These two forces combined, offer a…
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