COVID-19 has brought untold hardship to Africa, but lockdowns are also driving a move to online shopping in a continent where it has been slow to take off.

The whole of Africa had only around 21 million online shoppers in 2017 — about the same number as Spain. That’s less than 2 percent of the world’s total, according to the latest U.N. data.

COVID-19 had infected more than 260,000 people in Africa, as of June 18, and lockdown restrictions have forced many open-air markets and retailers to shut, with consumers being told to stay home. In response, digital entrepreneurs across the continent have launched new services for ordering and delivering supplies.

“E-commerce has been a turnkey solution,” Torbjorn Fredriksson, head of e-commerce and digital economy at the U.N. Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), tells CNN Business. It has enabled “supply chains to continue to function and to get food from farms to tables,” he adds.

Farmcrowdy began life in 2016 as a digital platform providing small farmers across Nigeria with access to finance and support. But in April, it launched Farmcrowdy Foods, an online store where people can buy fresh food from farmers.

Kenneth Obiajulu, the company’s managing director, told CNN Business that it started developing the marketplace model in 2019, but decided to fast track the launch as Nigeria’s lockdown made it difficult for farmers to sell produce.

Through the food platform, Farmcrowdy collects produce from its network of more than 25,000 farmers situated in the rural north of the country, before transporting it to storage facilities in the south, near Lagos, where there is most demand.

“We list all the produce that we have sourced directly from the farmers. Then individuals can order it and get it delivered to their homes,” says Obiajulu.

Since launching, during what it describes as a pilot phase with limited marketing, it has received more than 2,000 orders via its hotline, WhatsApp and mobile app.

Jumia, one of the continent’s largest e-commerce operators, reported a four-fold increase in sales of groceries in the second half of March, compared with the same period last year — although its food delivery service was impacted by restaurants shutting down.

Words to Learn 相关词汇

【无数的】wúshù de untold too great or numerous to count

【一站式的】yīzhànshì de turnkey supplied, installed, or purchased in a condition ready for immediate use, occupation, or operation

新冠肺炎疫情给非洲带去了数不清的苦难，但是封锁也推动了起步较晚的网购在非洲大陆上的发展。

根据联合国最新的数据，2017年整个非洲只有大约2100万网购者，相当于西班牙的网购人数，还不到世界网购总人数的2%。

截至6月18日，新冠病毒已经感染了非洲超26万人，封锁限制措施迫使很多露天市场和零售店关门，消费者被告知待在家里。对此非洲各地的电商推出了订购和送货的新服务。

联合国贸易与发展会议电子商务和数字经济处处长托本▪弗莱德瑞克逊告诉美国有线电视新闻网商业频道说：“电子商务是解决问题的一把钥匙。”他补充道，电子商务让“供应链继续运转，把食物从农民那里送到餐桌上。”

数字化平台Farmcrowdy于2016年创立，向尼日利亚各地的小农户提供资金和支持。今年四月，该平台推出了网店Farmcrowdy Foods，人们可以通过这家网店从农民那里买到新鲜食物。

该公司的总经理肯尼斯▪欧比亚由路告诉美国有线电视新闻网商业频道称，该公司从2019年开始开发线上市场功能，尼日利亚的封锁措施使得农民难以卖掉农产品，促使公司决定快速推出这项业务。

通过他们的食品平台，Farmcrowdy从尼日利亚北部乡村的2.5万多名农民那里收购农产品，然后将其运送到需求量最大的拉各斯附近的南部地区仓库。

欧比亚由路说：“我们在平台上列出了所有直接从农民那里收购的农产品。消费者可以订购，让我们送货上门。”自从该平台推出以来，在有限营销的试运行阶段，已通过热线电话、WhatsApp应用和其他手机应用接到了2000多张订单。

非洲大陆最大的电子商务运营商之一Jumia报告称三月下半月的百货销量同比增长了四倍 —— 不过其送餐服务受到了餐厅关门的影响。

(chinadaily.com.cn)