Twenty-five (25) African startups are currently taking part in the first Alibaba eFounders Initiative Entrepreneurship Training Programme taking in the city of Hangzhou, China.The eFounders Initiative Entrepreneurship Training Programme includes a 2-week course at the Alibaba Business School.
According to the Guardian, the programme has been organised by the Alibaba Group in partnership with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). It will run from 10 to 23 November 2017. It was designed to explore the opportunity to effectively advance and develop an e-commerce ecosystem in Africa.
Alibaba hosts Nigerian startups in China https://t.co/saXayPCHq2
— Alibaba Group (@AlibabaGroup) November 20, 2017
Participants in the programme will learn how e-commerce has transformed the economy and society in China along with the necessary skills to advance their enterprises. It is believed that the core learnings will reinvigorate and inspire African entrepreneurship, develop a new era of online business, and eventually play a role in building the African e-commerce ecosystem.
25 participants from different African countries are participating in the programme. Among these are four (4) Nigerian e-commerce business founders. These are Jessica Anuna, CEO of Klasha.com, a Shanghai-based business currently expanding into Nigeria, Adetayo Bamiduro, Co-Founder of Max.ng, offering express last mile delivery for Africa, Damilare Ogunleye Co-Founder and CEO of Suvenia.com, a self-expression e-commerce marketplace, that allows people discover and buy personalised items and Maxwell Asowata, CEO of CartNG.com, a platform that offers quality products consumers can trust.
South Africa’s high-tech logistics and fulfilment company, Pargo is the only South African company selected to participate in the initiative.
The participants are expected to develop a new era of online business and apply the acquired knowledge in their home countries but also mobilise and inspire others to embrace the new economic paradigm as well as Create a local community of e-commerce champions who can support one another moving forward.
This initiative is in fulfilment of the visit of Alibaba’s founder, Jack Ma, when he visited Africa some months ago. Recall that Ma promised that 200 benefiting entrepreneurs will be a visit to China to learn from Alibaba business processes. Jack Ma was noted to have said that “I want them to go to China, meeting our people, seeing all the things we have been doing, all the great ideas China has”.
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