Trade enabler DP World is set to launch DUBUY.com, a global wholesale e-commerce platform, in Ethiopia.
The initiative follows the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between DP World and the Ethiopian Ministry of Transport to explore the potential of developing logistics infrastructure and the provision of end to end logistics services along the Berbera to Addis Ababa Corridor to unlock major economic benefits for Ethiopia.
DUBUY.com is an online marketplace that will help to unlock access to global markets for small and medium-sized Ethiopian enterprises, with fulfilment through DP World’s worldwide ports and logistics network.
The platform also enables global companies to find and serve new trading partners in Africa, opening access to fast growing markets on the continent.
DUBUY.com began operations in Rwanda with plans for rapid expansion across Africa and beyond. Ethiopia is the second largest market in Africa by population size and its rapidly growing economy means there is an ever-increasing demand for imports and exports.
Online marketplaces are a significant opportunity for economic growth in Africa, which today accounts for less than 0.5 percent of global e-commerce according to the United Nations Conference on Development and Trade.
The combination of DUBUY.com with DP World’s physical logistics infrastructure and data-driven logistics solutions will solve some of the key challenges to the growth of e-commerce on the continent, including reliable fulfilment, secure financial transactions, and the movement of goods.
Mahmood Al Bastaki, Chief Operating Officer of Dubai Trade World, added: “People and companies everywhere are turning to technology to fuel their post-pandemic recovery and improve access to global trade.
DUBUY.com represents a new model of trade in Africa, designed to strengthen its existing potential and open businesses and markets organically by enabling trade and supplying innovation. This technology allows home grown businesses to become international manufacturers and exporters by linking them with new markets in Africa and the rest of the world.”
The DUBUY.com platform offers a one-stop-shop, ensuring all transactions on the site are secure, from onboarding only trusted suppliers through to integrating leading payment service providers.
There are pre-negotiated, heavily discounted shipping tariffs in place, with regular console boxes moving between origin and destination with guaranteed transit times and incentivized shipping costs.
The shipping methods are also customized according to the scale of each transaction and the urgency of shipments. This all adds up to create a platform which is agile, responsive and will enable Ethiopian entrepreneurs to fully benefit from the advantages of increased access to world markets.