Over the past decade, global e-commerce has grown at an average rate of 20% per year as brick-and-mortar stores have declined. By 2024, global retail e-commerce sales are estimated to reach up to $6 trillion worldwide, more than the GDP of Germany or Japan.
E-commerce in Central Asia is beginning to serve as a tool to (1) find global consumers for “Made in Central Asia” products, (2) integrate and upgrade traditional supply chains, and (3) achieve inclusive growth and poverty reduction by creating accessible jobs for vulnerable groups such as women, youth, and persons with disabilities. This is because e-commerce overcomes the region's landlocked geographic constraints and promotes the engagement of a young, tech-savvy workforce.
This is especially important for Tajikistan, which has the youngest population and highest population growth rate in the region. On December 24, 2022, the country adopted the Law on Electronic Commerce, which aims to protect the rights and legitimate interests of citizens and organizations involved in e-commerce and ensure the free operation of e-commerce in the country.
The “Advancing Global Access through E-Commerce in Tajikistan” conference, to be held in Dushanbe on March 1, 2024, will bring together key e-commerce players from Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, along with their peers from around the world, including businesses, policymakers, international e-commerce companies and traders. The event will initiate knowledge and resource exchange between Tajik SMEs and the global e-commerce ecosystem, as well as foster policy dialogue to build e-commerce enablers, including digital connectivity, logistics connectivity, digital skills, payment systems and regulatory frameworks.
The conference represents the first concrete step towards establishing productive links between Tajikistan and global resources, fostering facilitating conditions and policy follow-up, and unlocking investment opportunities.
The conference is being organized by the World Bank's Enhancing Global Access through E-Commerce (EGATE) team, with support from the UK Department for International Development, FCDO, in collaboration with international and local organizations, including the Government of Tajikistan, International Finance Corporation (IFC), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), ITC, Inter-Ministerial Committee on Economic Planning, Aga Khan Foundation, Private Internet Policy Initiative, Tajikistan Association of Small and Medium Enterprises, Tajikistan E-Commerce Participants Association, and Tajikistan Association of Microfinance Organizations.
Contact: Chiyu Niu, cniu@worldbank.org, Yaroslav Eferin, yeferin@worldbank.org.
