WTO Information Technology SymposiumWednesday 28 March 2007
Raphaël DardE-Trade Development Unit, ITC
Mobile telephony applications for
business efficiency and the
development process in Africa
Mobile phone boom in Africa
Source : ITU, 2006
1998
120
80
40
0
Million users, from 1998 to 2005
Fixed phone
Internet
Mobile phone
2005
Mobile technology & Western Africa
Mobiles are the most common IT
Mobile Applications are widespread for leisure,
not business
Great potential for development in the Agricultural Sector
Huge need for business and market information
Conclusions of the research included:
Real-time market information for exporting SME
tradeathandaffairesmobiles
tradeathand objectivesBalance the asymmetrical access to real-time business information
Use existing mobile phone networks to increase SME exports
Strengthen food suppliers, enabling them to defend their position on their own value chain
Generate additional revenues
what does tradeathand provide?
Product prices on foreign markets
De: AffairesMobRungisdu 21.05.2007MANGUE Kent Mali avion cartonEuros le kgmoy: 3.00mini: 2.80maxi: 3.50(Source SNM)
marketPrices
Sent by: MEBF La Maison de l'Entreprise vous convie au séminaire sur le management de la nouvelle entreprise le 10/04/07 à partir de 15h30 à l'EPC de la CCIA-BF. Coupon exigé
Source:
Content:
Marketplace
Business opportunities
Brief market reports
Information on events
marketAlertsSource:
Content:
Local TSI
tradeathand outcomes
All Burkinabe and Malian fruit and vegetable exporters receive daily price quotes from Paris Rungis Market (mango & green beans)
12 Trade Support Institutions, in 3 countries, start to inform exporters with market alerts via a tailored Web-to-SMS application
Exporters say they negotiate better deals
and improve their market approach after analyzing newly available information
tradeathand: signs of interest• Referred to in The
Economist in Jan.07• Selected as a
Nominee for the Global Mobile Awards in Feb.07
mobile applications are still in their infancy!
• PC laptops become smaller and phones acquire more and more computer capabilities.(Many more mobile applications to come!)
• The size of the mobile-transaction market (m-commerce) will probably surprise us.
tradeathand: new directions
tradeathand: new directions
• in Mali (Dutch funding)
• in Mozambique (Canadian funding)
• in Senegal, Benin and Liberia scheduled to start this year…
and we plan to expand geographically
