With the technical assistance of GAINDE 2000, the Ministry of Commerce has launched a commercial electronic platform called E-commerce Covid. The objective is to facilitate access to essential goods and services during the pandemic.
In order to facilitate access to essential goods and services during the pandemic and avoid travel to places of commerce (supermarkets, shops, markets, etc.), the Minister of Commerce, with the technical support of the company GAINDE 2000, set up a platform for electronic commerce and the mapping of stocks and prices of basic commodities. It offers consumers the possibility of sourcing basic necessities and the professionals of the Ministry of Trade and SME (Small and Medium-sized Enterprises) to anticipate the dysfunctions of the distribution chain . This platform facilitates the distribution of necessary food, hygiene and health products. It federates SME and encourages more traditional enterprises to connect .. “We want to ensure that people have access to what they need to overcome this crisis,” said Senegalese Trade Minister Assome Aminata Diatta at the launch of the platform.
Up to now, some 60 companies have joined the platform or have expressed an interest in doing so. These are companies offering e-commerce, logistics and payment solutions, or structures that help businesses set up e-commerce operations.
Technical arm in this initiative, the Chief Executive Officer of GAINDE 2000 declares that through E-commerce Covid, he intends to help businesses reach consumers in all major urban centers, beyond Dakar, where e-commerce services are currently concentrated. This platform now serves as an information portal where the contact details of various e-commerce operators are communicated.
It aims to pool and optimize the distribution of goods by creating a national consortium of e-commerce operators, open to all producers and traders.
To do so, Mr. Diagne believes that businesses need to move from a purely competitive mindset to a cooperative mindset. They must, said Mr Diagne, be ready to share a common market infrastructure that benefits the entire e-commerce ecosystem.
In addition to this e-commerce platform, the Ministry of Commerce has launched a second platform to support its market surveillance activities through an online mapping of the available stocks of basic foodstuffs across the country.
