Trade enabler DP World has launched DUBUY.com, a global wholesale e-commerce platform that is now available in Rwanda with plans to expand across Africa and around the world.
DUBUY.com adds digital trading corridors to the physical corridors DP World has built across the African continent with its investment in ports, terminals, and logistics operations. It is partnering with local businesses and the Rwandan government to help unlock access to global markets for small and medium-sized UAE enterprises, using DP World’s end-to-end integrated supply chain services to fulfil orders for export and to receive goods. The platform also enables global companies to find and serve new trading partners in Africa, opening up access to fast-growing markets.
Online marketplaces are a significant opportunity for economic growth in Africa which today accounts for less than 0.5 percent of global e-commerce according to the United Nations Conference on Development and Trade. In 2018, trade between the UAE and Rwanda reached AED1.6 billion (US$434.8 million), with the size of trade growing significantly in the last decade as part of wider bilateral and economic ties between the two countries.
The combination of DUBUY.com with DP World’s physical logistics infrastructure and data-driven logistics solutions will solve some of the key challenges to the growth of e-commerce, including reliable fulfilment, secure financial transactions and the movement of goods.
Clare Akamanzi, CEO of Rwanda Development Board said,
"DUBUY.com will make the previously impossible, possible, for many Rwandan entrepreneurs to trade with the UAE – and beyond. People and companies everywhere are turning to technology to fuel their post-pandemic recovery and improve access to global trade."
DUBUY.com is the first online store created for all Rwandan licenced exporters, importers, and manufacturers. In Rwanda, DP World has already invested in a logistics hub that offers container handling, cold chain and bonded warehouses.
Mahmood Al Bastaki, Chief Operating Officer of Dubai Trade World, said,
"This technology allows homegrown businesses to become international manufacturers and exporters - by linking them with new markets in Africa, the Middle East and eventually the rest of the world. In Rwanda, this includes the promotion of valuable exports like tea, coffee, and horticulture, through a network that significantly upgrades the country’s supply chain logistics, both in urban and rural areas. We are not just building in Rwanda; we are building with Rwanda, for Rwanda."
Mike Bhaskaran, Chief Operating Officer, Technology and Logistics, DP World, said,
"Our vision is to create more efficient trading corridors for our customers through our ports and logistics, digital technology to make operations more efficient, and now online platforms for trade. We are proud to play our role supporting economic development and increased prosperity in Africa."
