Kenya expresses interest in Rubber Board’s e-marketplace concept

Kenya intends to replicate the Rubber Board of India’s e-marketplace concept and set up an e-procurement system for different commodities.

Rubber Board is in the final stages of rolling out the “mRube” e-marketplace for natural rubber by next month. Software development is almost complete and the security audit is in progress.

According to Agency officials, the electronic marketplace was conceptualized after a detailed study of the system and consultations with stakeholder groups. The e-commerce system is fully aligned to match the prevailing physical commerce system and eliminates vulnerabilities. E-commerce is envisioned to improve market visibility and the negotiating ability of buyers and sellers.

To get a first-hand experience of the Board’s e-marketplace concept, a team from the Government of Kenya’s National Treasury, consisting of 10 senior officials led by Lynne Ngina Nyongesa, Director, ICT, visited the Rubber Board and had discussions with the market. Promotion Division on the theoretical framework and functional aspects of ‘mRube’, the brand name of the e-market.

The Kenyan delegation was very impressed with the trading system proposed in “mRube” and its transparent features. The delegation believed that the Board’s electronic market could help rubber producers to better understand prices and minimize their commercial risk. The Kenyan delegation has also requested technical assistance and support from the Council to develop a similar e-commerce system for its commodity procurement.

Published on

March 22, 2022