Middle East and Africa: leapfrog straight into local eCommerce

15% of the 26 million big population hold a mobile money account, while over 73% is still unbanked or underbanked. Internet access has been rapidly increasing in Cameroon, making Cameroon one of the top three African countries with the highest growth in internet access. eCommerce in Cameroon is growing at an exponential pace, and even though it is still behind other African countries like Kenya, Ghana and Nigeria, it is expected to catch up with other nations. 24% made a digital payment in the past year.

Egypt’s population reached 100 million people in 2019. With internet penetration at 49% and bancarization levels of 14%, the government is pushing for increased banking access and expansion of mobile and internet access. Egypt’s is a young, but growing market for eCommerce with 8 million shoppers and $1.5 billion in annual sales. Here, cash is still king; 64% of all online purchases are paid with cash.

Ghana has one of the most sophisticated eCommerce markets in West Africa. 14 million eShoppers in a 30.4 million population use mobile money platforms such as Vodafone, MTN, Tigo, and Airtel as the most used payment method. Mobile money account penetration reaches close to 39%, debit card is 18.6% and credit card penetration only 5.8%. Less than 43% of the population has an account in a financial institution. Nevertheless, only 7.8% of Ghanaians bought something or paid bills online at the moment, putting the country below the African average.

With 36 million transactions a year, Morocco is the fourth largest eCommerce market in Africa. Smartphone penetration is at 57% and is the main internet access for most Moroccans. Approximately 7% of Moroccan Internet users shop online and the country’s eCommerce market is worth $244 million annually. While only 4% of Moroccans have a credit card, 70% of online purchases are conducted using a payment card of one kind or another. Merchants who offer local cards and alternative payment methods in their mix do especially well in this market.

With its 198 million population, Nigeria is a large market. However, only 11.4 million of those 190M shop online: there is much room to grow. Alternative payment methods are the key to launch operations in Nigeria, as only 3% of Nigerians have cards, and only 29% of online transactions are paid with this payment method. Even more, people have Mobile Money accounts (5.6%) than cards. Mobile optimized checkout flows become more key each year, as smartphone penetration is growing fast from a starting base of 56% today.

Out of a population of 53 million inhabitants, less than 10% have bought something online. Still, 26% bought something or paid for their bills online. The $600 million eCommerce market in Kenya is relatively small but growing at 21% annually. Compared to the region, Kenya has a relatively high institutionalization, with over 55% of the population holding an account in a financial institution. Nevertheless, cash is still the most used payment method, but mobile money platforms like mPesa are gathering rapid penetration in the market. Credit Card penetration is under 6% while debit cards achieve almost 38%.

With bancarization levels of 20.3% and credit card penetration of 2.8%, debit card of 9.6%, the growth of Senegal’s eCommerce is a long way from reaching the sector’s full potential. Senegal counts 2 Million eShoppers in a population of over 16 million people. Nevertheless, Senegal’s eCommerce is being strengthened by a legal framework, setting up conditions for mutual operations between electronic financial services and enhancing electronic payment. The use of apps in eCommerce becomes key in the market. Mobile money platforms such as Orange and Wizall Money, reach a penetration of over 31%.

With 69% banked population, South Africa is a leader in the African continent for financial inclusion. eCommerce population is highly condensed among card-holders, representing 13% of the country population. Also, almost a quarter of South Africans have shopped online. South Africa is showing promising opportunities, especially in m-commerce with a smartphone adoption (60%) growing at a fast pace.