ELECTRONIC COMMERCE. Interface of Cebu Chamber Marketplace, which is supported by the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Strengthening Private Enterprises for the Digital Economy (SPEED) program. USAID is allotting USD18 million for the five-year program in the Philippines. (PNA photo by Kris Crismundo)
CEBU CITY – United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-sponsored Strengthening Private Enterprises for the Digital Economy (SPEED) targets 20,000 small and medium enterprise (SMEs) to be onboard electronic commerce within the five-year period of the program, SPEED chief of party Vicente Catudio Jr. said.
In a media briefing here Wednesday, Catudio said SPEED aims to launch three pilot sites for the program this year, one each in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.
SPEED’s pilot project in Visayas is in partnership with Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI). They target to relaunch the Cebu Chamber Marketplace next month. This project is an addition to Nueva Vizcaya Agricultural Terminal, Inc. (NVAT).
“We will provide capacity building, technical assistance to SMEs under the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and help them onboard to this e-commerce platform. Of course, there’ll be payments and the logistics. We also help them on the marketing side,” Catudio said.
USAID’s SPEED has helped in integrating Cebu Chamber Marketplace, e-payment platform Maya, and Cebu-based logistics firm Airspeed.
He added SPEED also aims to help the Cebu Chamber Marketplace in promoting and increasing the traffic of the online platform through leveraging resources of United States companies, such as Google and Meta.
“This initiative will surely help SMEs transition into mature e-commerce businesses,” CCCI president Charles Kenneth Co said.
Co said that in this era of rapid technological advancements, it is crucial for Cebu SMEs to innovate and adopt digital transformation for their businesses to thrive and remain competitive.
He said many of entrepreneurs in Cebu are encountering challenges to be online.
“In today's rapidly evolving digital landscape, being digitally ready is crucial for businesses to thrive. It encompasses having the necessary infrastructure, skills, and knowledge to leverage technology effectively and harness its potential for growth,” he added.
Launched last January, the USAID is allocating USD18 million for SPEED to accelerate digitalization of Filipino SMEs and improve the integration of e-commerce platforms, e-payments, logistics, and merchants. (PNA)
