Africa is the fastest-growing mobile telecommunication market in the world. It is also the second most-digitally connected continent after Asia. Inevitably, with over 400 million internet users, Africa is quickly establishing itself as an ideal e-commerce market.  

Indeed, there has been an average 18% annual increase in the population of Africa’s online shoppers since 2014. For comparison purposes, this growth rate is higher than the 12% global yearly growth rate recorded over the same period. However, while online purchasers account for approximately 68% of the internet users in the EU region, only about 13% of African internet users make online purchases. 

Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa have experienced the biggest boom in the African e-commerce sector. Between them, the three countries accounted for nearly half of the 21 million total population of online shoppers recorded in Africa in 2017. Africa remains a vastly untapped e-commerce market with a lot of potential.

Top e-commerce platforms in Africa such as Jumia, DHL Africa, Bidorbuy, Konga, Takealot, and Kilimall have shown that Africa can be an ideal e-commerce market worth more if more than half of the region’s population adopt online shopping. 

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