Speaking during the event, CA Director General Mr. Francis Wangusi said that there is evidence of a strong correlation between physical addressing and growth of e-commerce and that its implementation would spur growth of the nascent sub-sector.
‘‘Many countries that have successfully deployed National Addressing Systems, posit a strong correlation between physical addressing and growth of e-commerce. Further, research has shown that over 90% of the world economy is now being driven by micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), a factor attributed largely to the rapid adoption of e-commerce,’ said Mr. Wangusi.
The Director General added that besides providing opportunities for e-commerce, a robust addressing system would also enhance communication and economic development, as well as support various essential services to citizens and government mandate by respective agencies.
‘‘African countries dominate the number of these countries that are lagging behind the rest of the world. The majority of homes in Kenya do not have a name or number, rarely have a street name and definitely no national level post or zip code. This leads to major social and economic issues that are throttling growth in Kenya,’’ said CIAK chairman Mr. Geoffrey Mwove.
The stakeholders drawn from government agencies, the private sector and the county governments deliberated on a number of issues, culminating in the establishment of a multi-stakeholder committee to spearhead the implementation of the addressing system.
Statistics indicate that across the world, around 75% of the population suffers from inconsistent, complicated and poor addressing systems. This means that around 4 billion people are invisible: unable to report crime, get deliveries, aid or simply have a name for where they live.
Startups have not been left behind in developing such technology to improve e-commerce.
