Trinidad and Tobago signs agreement with UN to develop e-commerce

THE MINISTRY of Trade has signed an agreement with the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) to develop Trinidad and Tobago’s national e-commerce strategy 2024-2029.

A release from the ministry said the agreement was signed on December 5, with the expectation that the strategy will form a key pillar of the country’s digital transformation agenda and position TT as a regional e-commerce hub.

Randall Karim, acting permanent secretary for the trade ministry, signed on behalf of the TT government and Zaw Myint, officer in charge of the budget and project finance section, signed on UNCTAD’s behalf.

“The first step in the development of the strategy will to conduct an e-trade readiness assessment which will provide snapshot of TT’s e-commerce environment and identify available opportunities and gaps to be addressed,” the release said.

The assessment, the release said, will look at e-commerce strategies, ICT infrastructure, online payment solutions, legislation, movement and clearance of goods, skills development in digital technology and access to finance by SMEs.

A national committee including key public and private-sector actors will be formed, including the Trade and Digital Transformation ministries, ExporTT, the National Energy Corporation, TT Manufacturers Association and the TT Chamber of Industry and Commerce.