Project

A. General Information

1. Title

Institutional Support for Digital Payments and e-Commerce Policies for Cross-Border Trade (IDECT)

2. Status of the project
Operating
3. Implementation period of the project/service:
From
Dec-2021
To
Dec-2026
4. Website
https://projectsportal.afdb.org/dataportal/VProject/show/P-Z1-G00-018
5. Geographical coverage
Regional: Africa
Participating countries: Côte d’Ivoire, Rwanda, Congo, South Sudan, Zimbabwe, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Benin, Ghana, Liberia, Sao Tome and Principe
Hub Point: Rwanda
6. Participating agencies/entities of the project/service:
a. Development stage
Lead agencies/entities
Smart Africa Secretariat
Other participating agencies/entities
African Development Fund
b. Operational stage
Lead agencies/entities (op)
Smart Africa Secretariat
Other participating agencies/entities (op)
African Development Fund
7. Main stakeholders/beneficiaries of the project
Traders (big enterprises)
Traders (SMEs)
Transport
Customs brokers
Customs
Other Government Agencies (OGAs)
8. Business process category of the project
Commercial Transactions
Payment

B. Lessons Learned

9. Summary description of the project/service
Brief Summary

The Project’s main development objective is to strengthen the environment for digital trade across Africa by developing robust and harmonized e-payment ecosystem policies and addressing key policy gaps to unlock cross-border digital payments that have the potential to accelerate intra-Africa trade.

a. Objective(s)

The Project’s main development objective is to strengthen the enabling environment for digital trade across Africa by developing robust/ harmonized e-payment ecosystem policies. The specific objectives are: i) Develop a gender responsive policy framework to facilitate cross-border trade through harmonized e-Payment systems; ii) Promote dialogue across e-payments stakeholders to increase public-private participation/projects that enhance e-payment ecosystem, and iii) Support targeted countries to develop action plans to enable e-Payments for the facilitation of inclusive digital trade.

b. Business need for the project (background)

Strengthening institutional capacities and promoting sound policies to support the growth of the digital payments and e-commerce ecosystem.

c. Business process covered*

This project proposes to address key policy gaps to unlock cross-border digital payments that have the potential to drive the growth of the African e-commerce market and accelerate intra-Africa trade.

d. Overall architecture and functionalities*

The projects will identify gaps in the ecosystem (primarily related to cross-border activities), offering practical training/ capacity building programs, and establishing policy dialogue platforms to address identified gaps.

e. Relevant document/figure
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10. Documents and data exchanged via the project

Cross-border digital payments

11. Data models/databases, proprietary solutions, hybrid approaches
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12. Main challenges faced during the project
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13. Lessons learned from the project
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14. Main benefit(s) of the project
Enhanced regulatory compliance*
Transaction Cost savings*
Transaction Time savings
Simplified process
14A. Elaborations/detailed description on benefits gained

Cross-border digital payments have several advantages for the African economies involved in this project. Firstly, they promote financial inclusion by enabling individuals and businesses to access financial services in remote or underserved areas. In addition, digital payments streamline transactions, reducing the costs and inefficiencies associated with traditional banking methods. Finally, they foster innovation and entrepreneurship by creating the right environment for fintech startups and digital banking solutions to thrive, ultimately stimulating economic development and empowerment across the countries involved.

15. Technical/financial/capacity building/other assistance
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16. Future plan for expansion of the project
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17. Other information or relevant references on the project
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18. Relevant document regarding the project
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C. Relevant Standards

19. Name(s) of any international, national legal instrument underpinning the project
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20. Electronic message standard
20A. Electronic message standard supporting the project
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20B. Type of standard for electronic message applied for the project
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21. Technical communication standard
21A. Technical communication standard supporting the project
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21B. Type of technical communication standard applied for the project
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22. Security-related standards*
22A. Security-related standard supporting the project
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22B. Type of security-related standard applied for the project
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23. Other Technical Information
23A. Interface developed for data exchange with an internal system
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23B. Other technical implementation information
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