The UN Development Programme (UNDP) and e-commerce company Jumia Uganda have launched a new online platform to boost online trading
The platform will benefit vendors in five markets; Nakasero, Nakawa, Wandegeya, Bugolobi, and Kalerwe, all in Kampala city. UNDP will provide smartphones, airtime, and data to be used by the market vendors.
The online platform will enable small and medium-sized enterprises to connect with consumers in order to sustain their livelihoods in view of movement restrictions, stay at home measures and social distancing guidelines established as part of the measures to curb further transmission of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This initiative is a strategic opportunity to empower the informal sector, market vendors, small and medium-sized enterprises, and produce markets, most of which are dominated by vulnerable groups such as; women, youth, and people with disabilities by connecting them with potential buyers.
It will also connect rural farmers to the urban market, keep the supply chain for agricultural produce active and provide employment and mitigate the economic impact of COVID-19.
Elsie Attafuah, the UNDP resident representative, said, “The offer is part of UNDP’s broader effort to deploy digital solutions for business continuity through e-governance and e-commerce, as Uganda responds to the current disruptions and pressures caused by the pandemic.
“COVID-19 presents not only health but also a humanitarian and development crisis that is threatening to leave deep social, economic, and political scars for years. It is therefore important to build the national capacity to harness the digital economy to expand e-commerce to support supply chains to enable business continuity and support livelihoods.”
