E-Commerce Development Programme for SMEs from Developing Countries

Facilitating cooperation and exchanges among SMEs in developing countries

The E-Commerce Development Programme for SMEs from Developing Countries, carried out by CIFAL Shanghai International Training Centre for local actors, aimed to facilitate cooperation and exchanges among SMEs in developing countries, particularly in e-business development. The Programme also seeks to apply the experience and best practices of China to other countries. 

CIFAL Shanghai has long had a high reputation for bringing together individuals from developing countries to update their knowledge and professional skills in information technology in order to keep pace with informatization and industrialization. The Centre has offered seminars on information technology and related economic growth and development methods, which have been attended by 1,229 beneficiaries from 127 countries. Topics include domestic and cross-border e-commerce, e-business management, information security and infrastructure development, as well as the latest information technology in China and its application in daily life. 

Based on demand in Cambodia, Cuba and Vietnam, CIFAL Shanghai provided workshops that would benefit SMEs from developing countries and regions. Participants learned about e-commerce and related issues through first-hand interactions with Chinese e-commerce market players, policymakers and other relevant parties. 

A seminar on cross-border e-commerce cooperation was organized in each country, providing 70 government officials from Cambodia, Cuba and Vietnam with a better understanding of e-commerce and related infrastructure development in China. These seminars shared solutions and good practices from China through lectures and site visits. In order to equip participants with knowledge of the latest trends in application management of e-commerce information systems, all lectures were presented by experts from the front line and officials at all levels involved in urban construction, who shared examples from their daily work. To complement the knowledge gained in the classroom, CIFAL Shanghai arranged for participants to visit enterprises, which provided a better understanding of e-commerce development in China. 

CIFAL Shanghai would like to expand this training to provide further study opportunities to officials and technicians in less developed countries. Participants in the seminars gained a comprehensive and objective understanding of China's achievements and accumulated experience in cross-border e-commerce cooperation. They also gained a scientific and pragmatic perspective of cross-border e-commerce cooperation and learned how to apply information technology. 

Based on the feedback received from participants, the project not only provided knowledge of e-commerce and related information technology, but also allowed participants to understand the advantages of information technology products and solution companies in China. Target countries could further explore opportunities for cooperation with China and Chinese companies to improve their information infrastructures and achieve Sustainable Development Goal targets in the future. The target countries showed a strong willingness to have delegates participate in future seminars. 

CIFAL Shanghai provides demand-based solutions to design e-commerce training courses that fit the specific needs of a country. It conducts an analysis to determine the optimal approach to e-commerce development and assists in building partnerships among SMEs in different sectors or countries. 

At the end of the seminars and training courses, all participants received a pen drive that contained all the course materials. They could share it with their colleagues or use it as reference to design related trainings in their countries. Representatives of CIFAL Shanghai maintained contact with the participants once they had returned to their home countries to identify their training demands and design future seminars for them. These training seminars could therefore be sustainable in both the participants’ countries and in China. However, many countries currently lack the technical and academic expertise required to offer similar trainings. 

In the coming years, CIFAL Shanghai will continue to raise awareness of informatization construction and share related knowledge and skills to further benefit individuals from Governments, corporations, financial institutions, hospitals and private businesses from States members of the Group of 77.