NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 25 – E-commerce is emerging as one of the fastest-growing engines of regional trade in Eastern and Southern Africa, with the COMESA Secretariat saying digital marketplaces will play a defining role in unlocking cross-border commerce, improving logistics efficiency, and supporting small businesses across the bloc.
Rapid internet penetration, mobile money usage, and the post-pandemic shift toward online retail have accelerated digital trade across COMESA member states. But fragmented infrastructure, uneven regulations, and high logistics costs continue to limit the sector’s full potential.
Bernard Dzawanda, Director of Infrastructure & Logistics at the COMESA Secretariat, said e-commerce has reached a turning point where coordinated regional policies can significantly increase trade volumes.
“E-commerce is no longer a side activity in our economies. It is now a strategic pillar of regional integration and a critical driver of SME competitiveness,” Dzawanda said.
“For COMESA, the priority is to create seamless digital and physical infrastructure so that goods bought online can move efficiently across borders.”
E-commerce growth outpacing traditional retail
Recent market assessments show that online transactions in Kenya, Zambia, Uganda, Rwanda, and Ethiopia have grown at double-digit rates for three consecutive years, spurred by youth entrepreneurship and digital payments.
Fintech adoption has been particularly influential. With over 200 million mobile money accounts in the region, businesses have increasingly shifted to digital storefronts targeting regional consumers.
“Digital payments are unlocking a new class of cross-border traders,” Dzawanda noted.
“Once you remove barriers to sending and receiving money across countries, the rest of the value chain begins to modernize.”
Logistics overhaul needed to sustain growth
Despite the momentum, e-commerce firms cite high delivery costs, long cross-border clearance times, and limited warehousing infrastructure as persistent challenges.
COMESA says regional logistics modernization is essential.
“Last-mile delivery, harmonized customs systems, and efficient transport corridors are the backbone of successful e-commerce ecosystems,” Dzawanda said.
“Our infrastructure programs are now aligned with digital trade priorities because you cannot scale e-commerce if goods take weeks to move between neighbouring states.”
COMESA is currently implementing the Digital Free Trade Area (DFTA) initiative, which seeks to digitize customs, promote e-logistics platforms, and support MSMEs to trade electronically.
SMEs expected to be the biggest winners
Digital marketplaces have become a key route for small-scale exporters of textiles, crafts, processed foods, and beauty products seeking access to new markets without the cost of physical storefronts.
“E-commerce gives micro and small businesses the opportunity to reach consumers they would never access through traditional trade channels,” Dzawanda said.
“Our work is to ensure that even the smallest entrepreneur in a rural area can participate in regional value chains.”
Towards a harmonized digital trade regime
COMESA is working with member states to align data protection laws, consumer protection rules, and e-transaction standards to create a predictable environment for digital commerce.
This harmonization is expected to attract more private-sector investment in logistics, warehousing, and fintech solutions.
“Investors need certainty that the rules for digital trade are consistent across the region,” Dzawanda emphasized.
“A harmonized regulatory framework will unlock the next wave of innovation and capital inflows into digital commerce.”
A growing opportunity for regional integration
Analysts project that the e-commerce market in the COMESA region could surpass USD 50 billion by 2030 if infrastructure modernization and regulatory reforms continue at the current pace.
Dzawanda says the bloc is committed to ensuring that digital trade becomes a central part of Africa’s economic transformation.
“Our goal is simple—make cross-border digital trade faster, cheaper, and fairer for everyone,” he said.
“E-commerce is the future of regional integration, and COMESA intends to be at the forefront of making that future a reality.”
