WTO Information Technology Symposium Wednesday 28 March 2007 Raphaël Dard E-Trade Development Unit,...

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

marketAlerts

Source:

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

Thank youfor your attention

Email: dard@intracen.org