ISLAMABAD: E-commerce provides opportunities to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to boost exports if linked with the right ecosystem and policy environment to trade internationally through digital platforms.

This was the crux of a discussion featuring trade experts during a webinar on ‘E-commerce and SMEs Preparedness’ organised here on Friday by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute in collaboration with International Trade Centre (ITC) Geneva and the Ministry of Commerce.

The experts also highlighted that SMEs in Pakistan employed about 70 per cent of the national labour force and accounted for 25pc of the country’s total exports.

ITC National Project Coordinator Dr Tauqir Shah said the centre would strive to enable Pakistani SMEs to effectively engage in the international markets. The ITC was the only development agency fully dedicated to supporting the internationalisation of SMEs, he added.

He further said the centre enabled SMEs in developing and transition economies to become more competitive and connect with international markets for trade and investment, thus raising incomes and creating job opportunities, especially for women, young people and economically marginalised communities.

Ms Aisha Humera Moriani, senior joint secretary (e-commerce) at the Ministry of Commerce, told the participants that the national e-commerce policy is aimed at setting the direction for development of the sector, and highlighted SMEs as a key pillar. She added that freelancers were adding to the ecosystem by generating huge remittances by contributing to the economic cycle of the country. The role of the ministry was to ensure that public authorities and the private sector worked hand in hand, she stated.

Highlighting the regulatory challenges, Competition Commission of Pakistan Director General Ahmad Qadir explained that the key stakeholders were e-commerce enterprises, financial institutions, revenue authorities, regulatory bodies and, most importantly, the consumers. The consumer protection guidelines should be adhered to in line with the e-commerce policy framework, he stressed.

Published in Dawn, September 11th, 2021