电子商务让卢旺达联通世界

2018年10月31日，阿里巴巴与卢旺达政府签署谅解备忘录，卢旺达成为第一个共同建设世界电子贸易平台（eWTP）的非洲国家。卢旺达总统卡加梅当时在自己的社交媒体上表示：“这是卢旺达颠覆性变革的机会，也将会是全非洲的机会！”

“在卢旺达发展电子商务符合政府制定的以知识为基础的技术驱动型经济的战略。趋势表明，未来商业交易将越来越依赖于电子商务和其他数字技术。”第二届一带一路国际合作高峰论坛结束后，卢旺达驻华大使查尔斯·卡勇加（Charles
Kayonga)接受《中国投资》专访时说，“我们的目标是发展信息通信技术，并使国家从包括电子商务在内的产业发展中受益。”

《中国投资》：发展电子商务在非洲一体化进程中的重要作用是什么？

查尔斯·卡勇加：一体化是非洲大陆未来发展的首要目标，否则，社会稳定和经济转型就会遭遇严重制约。基于此，去年在卢旺达的基加利，44个国家签署了非洲大陆自由贸易区（AFCFTA）协议，预示着世界上最大的单一市场即将诞生。此后，又有更多的国家加入进来，协议将于2019年6月开始生效。对于拥有12亿人口的非洲大陆来说，一体化不仅可以通过市场推动经济的强劲和公平增长，而且有助于减少冲突和加强贸易自由化。电子商务会在非洲自由贸易区的实施过程中发挥重要作用，因为它能够提升自由贸易的交易量，特别是非洲国家间的贸易，目前它只占总贸易额的18%。电子商务还将帮助不同国家的中小企业走出国内的小市场，把业务扩大到周边地区和覆盖12亿人的整个非洲市场。此外，电子商务也有助于实现非洲大陆的数字化统一，这是在日益数字化的全球环境下实现一体化的重要方面。

推动电子商务发展  助力国家经济转型

《中国投资》：卢旺达为什么要发展电子商务？对国家经济转型将发挥什么作用？

查尔斯·卡勇加：在卢旺达发展电子商务符合政府制定的以知识为基础的技术驱动型经济战略。从发展趋势看，未来商业交易将越来越依赖电子商务和其他数字技术。事实上，在包括中国在内的主要经济体国家中，电子商务已经深入到人们生活的各个方面，成为一种必需的生活方式。同时它对于经济可持续和包容性发展也起到了推动作用。在这样的现实环境下，卢旺达也瞄准了信息通信技术，期望从包括电子商务在内的优势中获益。特别是当前非洲大陆正朝着经济一体化的方向发展，整个世界也因为软、硬件基础设施而连接得更加紧密，采取这一战略决策的确势在必行。

卢旺达的领导人始终将追求卢旺达人民的全面解放作为其执政的目标。1994年，在打垮实施种族灭绝的政府并停止对图西族的种族灭绝后，新政府分阶段地开始实施旨在可持续发展和实现现代化的工作计划。2000年，政府出台了2020愿景，它的主要目标就是到2020年将国家发展成为以知识为基础、服务业为导向的经济体，并且步入中等收入国家行列。2017年，政府启动了国家经济转型战略第一阶段（NST1），这是一个为期七年的规划，其目的是实现2020愿景中未完成的目标，以及到2050年30年中前四年的目标。这一战略也整合了东非共同体2050愿景、联合国可持续发展目标（SDGs）和非盟2063年议程的核心要素，特别是2023年前十年里应执行完成的计划。国家转型战略由三大部分组成，即经济转型、社会转型和转型治理。经济转型的首要目标是加速包容性经济增长，发展私营企业，重视知识经济和充分利用卢旺达的自然资源。社会转型的目标是将卢旺达建设成为一个稳定、安全的国家，提升人民的生活水平，并使他们都能拥有一技之长。转型治理则旨在巩固善政和正义，使之成为国家公平和可持续发展的基石。由此可以看出，国家经济转型战略的重要性在于，它是实现可持续发展和现代化愿景的根本途径。

⬆在卢旺达首都基加利，卢旺达总统保罗·卡加梅在启动世界电子贸易平台仪式上发言（新华社 李琰摄）

《中国投资》：在促进电子商务发展方面，卢旺达有什么计划？

查尔斯·卡勇加：卢旺达政府正在采取一些措施支持电子商务的发展。首先，政府已经在全国境内铺设了4500公里的光纤线路，互联网的普及率日益提高，而且随着4G网络的推出，网速也在加快。第二，为了让偏远地区也能接入互联网，政府今年特意发射了一颗卫星。在不久的将来，互联网提供商的数量会继续增加，网络覆盖的范围也会不断扩大。不仅如此，卢旺达政府还通过吸引投资，生产普通百姓能负担得起的智能手机，从而提高移动电话的使用率。而且，政府还制定了促进电子商务发展和利用信息和通信技术（ICTs）使经济实现现代化的政策，其中包括国家信息与通信技术政策和国家数字人才政策。此外，政府出台了智能卢旺达的总体规划，旨在通过智能信息与通信技术打造一个繁荣有识的社会。

考虑到教育和认知也是电子商务发展的重要组成部分，卢旺达政府推出了一个数字大使方案（DAP），即先让年轻人接受数字技能培训，然后再把他们派遣到不同地区，培训当地民众的数字技能。

卢旺达还与阿里巴巴等电子商务公司建立了伙伴关系，通过这一渠道，使政府官员和企业家们获得数字经济的相关知识。

此外，政府也和知名学校和大学合作，为学生提供技术和电子商务领域的受教机会，这其中就包括卡内基梅隆大学，2012年它在基加利开办了第一个撒哈拉以南非洲地区的校区。阿里巴巴商学院也将从2019年9月开始为卢旺达学生开设学习班。

以上只是政府为促进电子商务和数字技术所采取的一些步骤，未来卢旺达在这一领域是大有希望的。

借鉴中国模式 加强合作

《中国投资》：您认为电子商务在促进两国在一带一路框架下的务实合作将发挥什么作用？

查尔斯·卡勇加：是的，我认为电子商务与一带一路倡议是相辅相成的，一方需要借助另一方获得更多的发展机会。一带一路倡议保障了各地物流基础设施和运输线路的互联互通以及必需的配套设施，而电子商务则使商品和服务的交付更加便利化。而且，一带一路倡议扩大了参与国的生产能力，确保了商业贸易所需的商品供应，从而也使电子商务和一般业务的可持续性成为可能。在一带一路框架下，并且伴随着跨境电子商务的发展，中国的中小企业（SME）正在获得走向全球的平台，与此同时，一带一路的沿线国家也得到了更多的投资机遇。由此，一方面中国制造的商品将遍布世界越来越多的地方，另一方面一带一路国家也可以将其生产的产品运往中国市场。2018年7月中国国家主席习近平对卢旺达进行了正式国事访问，期间他与卢旺达总统保罗·卡加梅签署了两国在一带一路框架下加强电子商务等领域合作的协议。这对卢旺达发展电子商务会起到重大推动作用。

《中国投资》：中国在卢旺达的电子商务发展方面能够发挥什么作用？在电子商务发展方面，卢旺达希望借鉴哪些中国模式？

查尔斯·卡勇加：如前所述，卢旺达与中国已经就电子商务领域的合作签署了谅解备忘录。该备忘录旨在共同创造有利于电子商务发展的环境；在卢旺达—中国联合双边经贸委员会框架下建立电子商务合作机制；以及分享创新经验的最佳实践方式和加强商务交流中的电子商务合作。这些工作的开展会为两国合作提供大量的机会，特别是有助于卢旺达向中国的学习。中国现在已经是世界上最大、最具创新活力的电子零售商务市场，而其成功主要得益于像云计算这样的数字技术的发展和非常先进的电子支付系统的使用。即使生活在农村的人也能借助淘宝模式将其生产的产品销往全国乃至国外。在电子商务领域，卢旺达虽然刚刚起步，但发展迅速。根据2015年全球技术报告，卢旺达在信息和通信技术推广方面位居全球第一，并且是非洲第一个启动电子世界贸易平台（eWTP）的国家。除业务运营模式外，卢旺达还可以借鉴中国政府为促进电子商务发展而制定的政策、监管框架和激励措施。

《中国投资》：两国在哪些行业具有重大的合作机会？目前有哪些项目正在进行？成效如何？

查尔斯·卡勇加：卢旺达与中国已经在多领域展开了广泛合作，在许多行业都有着各种机会，包括基础设施建设、制造业、加工业、医疗卫生、农业、旅游和教育等。一些项目正在进行中，比如公路、医院和发电厂的建设。在纺织、房地产、建筑材料制造等领域也都有中国方面的投资。越来越多的中国公司开始在卢旺达拓展业务，前往卢旺达旅游的中国游客人数也在日益增长。在电子商务方面，随着去年10月31日电子世界贸易平台的正式启动，产自卢旺达的咖啡已经在中国的电子商务平台上销售，到访卢旺达旗舰店也出现在阿里巴巴旗下的飞猪旅行平台上。通过与阿里巴巴和中国国际电子商务中心合作，我们还举办了许多相关的培训课程。

应对挑战 畅想未来

《中国投资》：两国在电子商务领域的合作会面临哪些挑战？您认为应该怎样应对这些挑战？

查尔斯·卡勇加：在发展电子商务的道路上我们也面临着一些挑战，包括一些地区缺乏配套的基础设施、怎样让更多的人接受这些新技术、互联网和手机的普及等。不过随着电子商务的发展，这些挑战会分阶段地逐步得到解决。允许一些卢旺达商品进入中国市场也是我们遇到的一个挑战，我们正在与中方的相关机构进行协商解决。此外，资金的压力也很大，因为建设满足电子商务需要的基础设施需要政府和私营行业的巨额投资。

英文版

E-Commerce links Rwanda to World

——Interview with  H.E.Ambassador Charles Kayonga of  The Republic of Rwanda to China

By Zhang Mei China Investment

On
Oct.31, 2018, Alibaba signed a memorandum of understanding with the
government of Rwanda, which made Rwanda become the first country in
Africa to set up an electronic World Trade Platform (eWTP). Also on that
day, President Kagame wrote on his social media, “This is an
opportunity of revolutionary transformation for Rwanda and for Africa as
a whole!”

After
the second BRF, H.E. Charles Kayonga, Ambassador of Rwandan to China,
accepted an exclusive interview of China Investment. He told the
reporter during the interview, “Developing e-commerce in Rwanda is in
line with the strategy by the government to build a knowledge-based
technology-driven economy. As trends indicate, in the future, business
transactions will increasingly rely on e-commerce and other digital
technologies. Rwanda aims to develop ICTs and to position herself to
benefit from its advantages including e-commerce.”

China Investment: What is the important role of developing e-commerce in the construction of African integration?

Charles Kayonga: Integration
is one of the leading flagship projects of the continent of Africa and
can be categorized as probably the most serious bottleneck to stability
and social economic transformation. That’s why after so many years of
work, last year in Kigali, Rwanda, 44 countries signed the African
Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement, creating the world’s
largest single market. Later on more countries joined and the minimum
threshold of ratifications for the trade area to be operational has been
reached, making it possible for the agreement to come into effect in
June 2019. For Africa, a vast continent of over 1.2 billion people,
integration has considerable potential not only for promoting robust and
equitable economic growth through markets, but also for reducing
conflict and enhancing trade liberalization. E-commerce will play an
important role in the implementation of AfCFTA as it will boost free
trade in particular, intra-African trade which is currently at the rate
of 18%. E-commerce will help small and medium-sized enterprises in
different countries to go beyond small national markets and to scale up
their operations to the regions and the whole continent, reaching the
whole market of 1.2 billion people. E-commerce will also help to
digitally unite the continent, an important element of integration in an
increasingly digital global environment.

China
Investment: Why Rwanda has to develop e-commerce? The significance of
developing e-commerce to the national economic transformation strategy.

Charles Kayonga: Developing
e-commerce in Rwanda is in line with the strategy by the Government to
build a knowledge-based technology-driven economy. As trends indicate,
in the future, business transactions will increasingly rely on
e-commerce and other digital technologies. In fact, in major economies
including China, e-commerce has already deeply penetrated every aspect
of people’s lives making it a daily necessity and also contributing to
accelerated wealth generation and inclusive development. In view of this
situation, Rwanda aims to develop ICTs and to position herself to
benefit from its advantages including e-commerce. This is even more
urgent as the continent of Africa moves towards economic integration and
as the world in general gets more connected through physical as well as
soft infrastructure.

Significance
of the National Strategy for Economic Transformation: The leadership of
Rwanda is consistent in the pursuit of its vision for the total
liberation of the Rwandan people. Following the 1994 defeat of the
genocide government and stopping the genocide against the Tutsi, the new
government embarked on a phased campaign for sustainable development
and modernization. In the year 2000, vision 2020 was launched, its main
objective being to transform the country into a knowledge-based and
service oriented economy and to achieve middle income status by 2020. In
2017, the government launched the national strategy for economic
transformation phase one (NST1), a program of seven years whose
objective is to implement targets remaining under previous programs
including vision 2020 as well as the first four years of the new 30-year
vision for the period 2050. The strategy also integrates elements of
the regional vision (EAC Vision 2050), the UN Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs) as well as the AU Agenda 2063, in particular the first ten
years implementation plan which ends in 2023. The National Strategy for
Transformation is built on 3 pillars namely the Economic Transformation;
Social Transformation, and Transformational Governance. The overarching
objective of the Economic Transformation pillar is to accelerate
inclusive economic growth and development founded on the Private Sector,
knowledge and Rwanda’s Natural Resources; the goal of the Social
Transformation pillar is to develop Rwandans into a capable and skilled
people with quality standards of living and the country into a stable
and secure society. Finally, the goal of the Transformational Governance
pillar is to consolidate Good Governance and Justice as building blocks
for equitable and sustainable national development. The significance of
the National Strategy for Economic Transformation therefore is that it
is a tool for the practical implementation of the vision for sustainable
development and modernization.

⬆Alibaba’s Electronic World Trade Platform landing in Africa    Photo by Li Yan of Xinhua News Agency

China Investment: What are the plans for Rwanda to promote e-commerce development?

Charles Kayonga: The
government of Rwanda is doing a number of things to support the
development of e-commerce: To begin with, the government has laid fiber
optic lines covering about 4,500 km of the country, increased internet
penetration and improved its speed with the rollout of national 4G LTE
network. Secondly, a satellite was launched this year whose aim is to
avail internet access in remote areas. Greater or even full coverage is
envisaged in the near future as the country seeks to multiply internet
providers. Apart from increased internet access, the Government of
Rwanda is also increasing mobile phones penetration by attracting
investment in manufacturing of affordable smart phones and instituting
mechanisms to facilitate affordability by ordinary citizens. Moreover,
the Government has put in place policies which are helping to develop
e-commerce and to modernize the Rwandan economy using information and
communication technologies (ICTs). These include the National ICT Policy
and National Digital Talent Policy. There is also a Smart Rwanda Master
Plan whose vision is to create a prosperous and knowledgeable society
through SMART ICT.

As
education and awareness are also very important components in
development of e-commerce and digital technologies, the government of
Rwanda has put in place a Digital Ambassadors Program (DAP) in which
young people are trained in digital skills and in turn are deployed to
different parts of the country to train members of the population in
digital literacy.

Rwanda
has also started partnerships with e-commerce companies such as Alibaba
and through these, government officials and entrepreneurs are being
empowered with digital economy knowledge.

In
addition, the government has partnered with reputable schools and
universities to offer education in technology and e-commerce related
fields. Examples include the Carnegie Mellon University which opened its
first sub-Saharan Africa campus in Kigali in 2012 and the Alibaba
Business School which will open a class for Rwandan students starting
from September 2019.

The
above are just a few of the steps the government of Rwanda is taking to
promote e-commerce and digital technologies and the future looks very
promising.

China Investment: Do you think that e-commerce is playing a role in promoting the pragmatic cooperation of the Belt and Road?

Charles Kayonga: Yes,
I believe e-commerce and BRI are mutually complimentary and one needs
the other to develop and grow. Through the BRI, logistics infrastructure
and connectivity, necessary facilities are being put in place to
facilitate delivery of products and services through e-commerce. The
production capabilities associated with BRI will ensure availability of
commodities for commercial trade thus ensuring e-commerce and business
sustainability in general. With the BRI and cross-border e-commerce
Chinese small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are getting platforms to go
global, ensuring that countries along the “Belt and Road” are getting
investment opportunities. Made in China products will also reach many
more countries all over the world as countries along the Belt and Road
routes will also be able to bring their products to China. During his
official visit to Rwanda in July 2018, H.E Xi Jinping and his host, H.E
Paul Kagame signed agreements on cooperation within the framework of the
Belt and Road initiative as well as e-commerce among others. This has
provided a major boost in Rwanda’s efforts to develop e-commerce.

China
Investment:  What role will China play in the development of e-commerce
in Rwanda? 
In terms of e-ommerce development, what Chinese models does Rwanda hope
to learn?

Charles Kayonga:
As mentioned earlier, Rwanda and China have already signed a memorandum
of understanding on e-commerce cooperation. The agreement entails
jointly creating a favorable environment for the development of
e-commerce; establishing an e-commerce cooperation mechanism under the
framework of the Rwanda-China Joint Bilateral Economic and Trade
Committee; sharing the best practices in innovation experience and
supporting e-commerce cooperation in business exchanges. The above
provides a great deal of opportunities for both sides but more
especially for Rwanda to learn from. China has become the world’s
largest and most innovative retail e-commerce market in the world while
development of digital technologies like cloud computing and very
advanced e-payment systems have largely contributed to the success story
of e-commerce in China. Even people in rural areas are able to sell
their products all over China and abroad as exemplified by the rural
taobao model. Rwanda is relatively a beginner in e-commerce but
developing very fast. The country was ranked first globally in ICT
promotion according to Global Technology Report of 2015 and has become
the first country in Africa to launch the eWTP. Apart from the different
business models, Rwanda could learn from the policy, regulatory
framework and incentives that the Chinese Government put in place to
facilitate development of e-commerce.

China
Investment: In which industries will the two countries have significant
cooperation opportunities? At present, what projects are underway? What
are the results?

Charles Kayonga:
Rwanda and China are already cooperating in many areas and there are
opportunities in different sectors like infrastructure, manufacturing,
processing, health, agriculture, tourism and education among others.
There are several projects underway including construction of roads,
hospitals and power generation to give but a few examples. We have
Chinese investments in textile, real estate, manufacturing of
construction materials and others. More and more Chinese companies are
opening in Rwanda and there is a significant increase in the number of
Chinese tourists going to Rwanda. In e-commerce, following the launch of
the eWTP Project on October 31st, Rwandan coffee is being sold on
Chinese e-commerce platforms and VisitRwanda Flagship Store has been
opened on Fliggy. Many training sessions have been organized in
partnership with Alibaba and China International Electronic Commerce
Center.  

China
Investment:  What challenges will the two countries face in cooperation
in the field of e-commerce? What do you think should be solved?

Charles Kayonga:
Some of the challenges being faced on the road to development of
e-commerce include the lack of adequate infrastructure in some areas,
creation of awareness to make more people embrace these new
technologies, internet and mobile phones penetration among others. These
challenges are being resolved through the different steps mentioned
earlier in line with the promotion of e-commerce.  Getting permits for
some of the Rwandan products to get access to the Chinese market is also
a challenge we are solving with relevant Chinese institutions. There is
also a financial challenge, as it will require huge investments from
the government and the private sector to develop the necessary
infrastructure for e-commerce.