Durban named Africa’s e-commerce gateway as Alibaba expands continental operations
Durban has been chosen as the African hub for global retailer and e-commerce leader, Alibaba. EThekwini Mayor Councillor Cyril Xaba held high-level engagements with Alibaba’s trade representatives at the company’s headquarters in China.
Image: Supplied
Durban has been chosen as the African launch hub for Alibaba Group’s expansion into the continent, marking a major boost for the city’s economy and digital trade ambitions.
Alibaba is one of the world’s largest e-commerce and technology companies, known for connecting millions of businesses and consumers globally through its online platforms.
This comes after a "high-level engagement between eThekwini Mayor Councillor Cyril Xaba and Alibaba’s international trade representatives at the company’s headquarters in Hangzhou, China", where discussions focused on positioning the city as a key gateway for Africa’s participation in global e-commerce and digital trade.
Durban has been chosen as the African launch hub for Alibaba Group’s expansion into the continent,
Image: Supplied
The city said one of the key reasons cited for selecting Durban was its strategic location.
"Durban’s strategic location, anchored by a world-class port, growing logistics infrastructure, and the King Shaka International Airport, played a central role in the City’s selection as Alibaba’s African launch hub," the city said in a statement.
"The collaboration is expected to create significant opportunities for local entrepreneurs, SMMEs, and start-ups, enabling them to access international markets through Alibaba’s online platform. In addition to trade access, the partnership will bring training, digital skills development, and entrepreneurship programmes, which all seek to support job creation and economic inclusion".
The city added that this was part of Durban’s broader "internationalisation strategy, which includes strengthening ties with key Chinese cities".
"Durban recently signed a Letter of Intent with Xi’an, and maintains established relationships with Xiamen, Guangzhou, and Ningde.
"The engagement aligns with Durban’s vision of becoming a resilient, inclusive, and globally connected port city, capable of driving long-term economic growth and innovation".
IOL Business
mthobisi.nozulela@iol.co.za