The e-commerce in Central Asia is growing fast. The stakeholders in the public and private sector are learning from the experience and ironing out the snags.
Tajikistan notes the need for better Internet service for efficient e-commerce
The Tajik government has adopted the E-Commerce Program for 2025-2029, which aims to expand e-commerce, reduce trade costs, simplify trade procedures, and promote non-cash transactions. The program will be funded through state budget, development partner assistance, foreign investment, and private sector contributions.
The program’s key focus areas include regulating digital trade, improving digital and financial literacy, developing trade infrastructure and logistics, and creating support services for e-commerce. It will be implemented in three phases, with the initial phase from 2025-2027 focusing on establishing a comprehensive e-commerce support system, data analysis, and securing funding.
Experts note that the success of this program hinges on improving the speed and quality of the internet in Tajikistan. Currently, the e-commerce landscape is limited, with most transactions occurring offline. While non-cash payments have grown, only a small percentage of the rural population uses digital financial services.
The document cites various challenges, including high costs of international data transfers, lack of local hosting services, and limited competition among telecom providers. In the past, the government has taken measures that have stifled the sector’s growth, such as introducing taxes and restricting international traffic.
International institutions have repeatedly emphasized the need for the government to address these issues by reducing internet costs, improving quality, and diversifying traffic routes. Failure to do so will undermine the potential for e-commerce development in the country. The government’s recent acknowledgment of the problem and commitment to resolving it provides hope, but concrete actions are still awaited. [Asia Plus – this version generated by AI – checked by human editor]
Meanwhile, the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) is introducing the systemic checks to build the consumer confidence. Here is a related story from Akchabar:
First Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan Adylbek Kasymaliev took part in a meeting of the Council of the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC), which was held in the format of a video conference. About 40 agenda items were considered, following which several significant decisions were made.
The EEC Council approved the procedure for identifying e-commerce goods, which will allow buyers to return goods to the operator’s warehouse after purchase, if this is provided for by the trading platform. A decision was also made on a mandatory guarantee of at least €500 thousand for legal entities applying for work in the customs sphere as e-commerce operators. /// nCa, 24 October 2024