Algiers — Algeria has launched its first eTrade Readiness Assessment (eT Ready), a strategic roadmap developed with UNCTAD to strengthen digital trade, empower micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), and accelerate integration into regional and global markets. The launch follows commitments made at TICAD 9, where African leaders identified digital transformation as central to economic growth and the success of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Algeria’s e-commerce sector has grown rapidly, with the number of registered online businesses rising at an average annual rate of 92% since 2020, while online payment transactions have tripled. In 2023, business-to-consumer e-commerce sales reached 0.8% of GDP, underscoring the sector’s growing contribution to the country’s economic diversification agenda.
Despite this progress, most online trade remains domestic, hindered by logistics bottlenecks and barriers to cross-border trade. The eT Ready roadmap sets out actionable recommendations to overcome these constraints, boost MSME competitiveness, and foster Algeria’s role in continental digital trade integration.
UNCTAD Deputy Secretary-General Pedro Manuel Moreno emphasized the importance of the initiative: “By empowering MSMEs to harness digital trade, we bring the promise of the AfCFTA closer to reality and ensure that no entrepreneur is left behind.”
Algeria’s eT Ready builds on 21 similar assessments already completed across Africa, which have helped governments engage more effectively in e-commerce policy and negotiations. The upcoming 16th UNCTAD Conference (UNCTAD16) in Geneva this October will further spotlight Algeria’s digital trade agenda, while the 4th Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF), to be hosted in Algiers in September 2025, will showcase digital trade solutions and foster intra-African business collaboration.
The assessment was supported by GIZ (Germany’s international development agency) alongside contributions from UNCTAD’s E-commerce and Digital Economy Programme donors, including Australia, Switzerland, Sweden, and the Netherlands.
