Alibaba, Rwanda Govt launch a 4-year e-commerce training program

Alibaba Group and the Rwandan government have launched a four-year training program for Rwandan students to learn cross-border e-commerce.

Rwanda and Alibaba also aim to allow additional Rwandan products to China via the Rwanda Development Board. Alibaba’s New Retail-powered supermarket chain, Freshippo, also signed a memorandum with the RDB, agreeing to import Rwandan chili to its 150 self-operated stores in China.

Rwanda has agreed to continue its membership in the Electronic World Trade Platform. eWTP, is an Alibaba-led initiative that aims to lower barriers to global trade for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) via e-commerce. Rwanda was the first African country to join eWTP and has extended its membership for another three years.

On its part, the Alibaba Business School will start a four-year undergraduate program to train students in international business and cross-border e-commerce. Alibaba will be working with the RDB to admit 24 students this September, 20th.

The program will be fully funded by Higher Education Council of Rwanda and Alibaba.

This is not the first time Alibaba is entering into a partnership with the government of Rwanda. In 2017, Alibaba Executive Chairman Jack Ma pledged to support the growth of the digital economy in Africa and opened up Alibaba Business School’s to train e-commerce talent among Rwandan teachers.

Later on, Rwandan startup founders visited Hangzhou for training under the school’s Netpreneur program and the eFounders Fellowship. Alibaba also welcomed Rwandan government oat its headquarters to learn how to build and sustain economic growth in the digital era.

“We’ve seen great momentum through our collaboration with the Rwanda Development Board to provide capacity-building to all key stakeholders who are drivers of the digital economy,” said Alibaba Vice President of Global Initiatives Brian Wong. (Wong is pictured above with Rwanda Development Board CEO Clare Akamanzi [c] and Freshippo Senior Procurement Manager Chen Huifang.)

“We are hoping that through our continuous effort, cross-sector synergy and public-private collaboration will be cultivated through the respective programs and will continue to drive actions towards the goal of an inclusive digital economy,” he said.

Reads 52