Liberia Rapid eTrade Readiness Assessment

Liberia is at an important juncture in its development trajectory. Since the last decade, the country has embraced a private sector led growth model, which is now gathering pace. The policy conversations have shifted from post-conflict reconstruction to greater involvement in global value chains, domestic market development and recently, the role of information and communications technologies (ICTs) in government and business. E-commerce is very much a nascent area and, as this assessment notes, each institution has its own interpretation of what e-commerce means and entails for the country. For some, it is a payment system, while for others it is a website. Cognizance of the overall ecosystem is only now starting to develop among the public and private sectors, as well as support actors such as academia, banks and telecommunication firms. The Government can help increase the momentum by integrating e-commerce in the national development agenda and facilitating steady policy and technical support.