DP World launches B2B e-commerce trading platform

Global ports and logistics group DP World has launched an e-commerce wholesale trading platform DUBUY.com to link SME importers and exporters and offering discounted logistics capacity – opening initially in Rwanda with plans to expand across Africa and around the world.

The Dubai-headquartered ports group said 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”, expanding its ‘trade enabler’ role to include a B2B sales and logistics channel linking SME importers and exporters.

It said 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 eCommerce, including reliable fulfilment, secure financial transactions and the movement of goods”. The group said DUBUY.com was “the first online store created for all Rwandan licensed exporters, importers, and manufacturers”, highlighting that in Rwanda, DP World had already invested in a logistics hub which offers container handling, cold chain and bonded warehouses.

DP World said DUBUY.com offered “a one-stop-shop, ensuring all transactions on the site are secure, from onboarding only trusted suppliers through to integrating leading payment service providers, like Rosoom. There are pre-negotiated, heavily discounted shipping tariffs in place, with weekly ‘consol’ boxes moving between origin and destination with guaranteed transit times, and incentivized shipping costs.”

It said shipping methods were also customised according to the scale of each transaction, and the urgency of shipments, “to bring a platform which is agile, responsive, and will position the UAE to be centre of Rwandan trade and e-commerce”.

DP World said online marketplaces “are a significant opportunity for economic growth in Africa, which today accounts for less than 0.5% of global eCommerce according to the United Nations Conference on Development and Trade”. In 2018, trade between the UAE and Rwanda reached AED 1. 6 billion (US$ 434.8 million), with the size of trade growing significantly in the last decade as part of wider bi-lateral and economic ties between the two countries.

DP World said DUBUY.com was 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.”

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. World class eCommerce platforms backed by innovative, reliable logistical networks can lead the charge, transforming how business is done across the continent.”

Mahmood Al Bastaki, Chief Operating Officer of Dubai Trade World, commented: “DUBUY.com represents a new model of partnership with the UAE, designed to strengthen the existing potential in Rwanda, opening businesses and markets organically, by enabling trade and supplying innovation. This technology allows home grown 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 which significantly upgrades the country's supply chain logistics – both in urban and rural areas. As well as providing access to new digital tools that will help local businesses prosper. We're not just building in Rwanda; we're building with Rwanda – for Rwanda.”

Mike Bhaskaran, Chief Operating Officer for Technology and Logistics at DP World said: “DP World is investing to build the future of world trade. 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.”