5-year roadmap for e-commerce on the cards

The National eCommerce Council (NeCC) on Tuesday decided to develop a five-year roadmap and action plan to promote digital trade. The decision was reached in the council’s 9th meeting, which was chaired by Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan. Various sector representatives also made presentations to highlight impediments to promoting e-commerce. It was decided that the new cross-sectoral policy would be presented to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar before the budget session. To achieve this short deadline, the commerce minister directed the formation of two to three working groups with clear Terms of Reference (TORs), including a group focused on the payments system. The minister’s directive for a five-year framework comes just as the national budget is set to be announced on June 7. Many experts say it is unlikely that a policy will be developed in such a short period. The Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) representative briefed the NeCC on the performance of the Pakistan Trade Portal (PTP). The portal currently registers 3,555 sellers and 1,342 buyers and lists 8,345 products across 34 cities.