On February 23, Alibaba published a report titled "Alibaba's Global Innovation and Development Initiative Program Footprint (2017-2023) - What is Asia, Africa and Latin America Watching? (hereinafter referred to as “the Report”). The Report shows that by the end of 2023, the Alibaba Global Initiative for Innovation and Development (GIDI) program had benefited 140 public policy makers and more than 4,000 entrepreneurs in over 70 countries and regions around the world.

In 2017, the Alibaba Global Initiatives (AGI) program was launched with support of the Alibaba Foundation. Launched as a public welfare initiative, AGI is designed to support entrepreneurs, young people and women participate in the global digital economy on a more equal footing. It aims to promote the development of digital trade by sharing new business models and practical experiences of China's digital economy through online and offline training sessions.

Sun Lijun of the Alibaba Foundation, expressed that the digital economy should not merely be confined to China and Alibaba. Rather, it should permeate globally, akin to the flow of water reaching all corners of the globe.

Utilizing participant feedback, the Global Innovation and Development Initiative program team meticulously compiled the Report. The document offers insights into the progress made in global digitalization over a the 7-year period. Moreover, it highlights the key trajectories that entrepreneurs are focusing on in each continent amidst the ongoing wave of global digitization.

Over the course of seven years, more than 4,000 entrepreneurs underwent training.

The courses of the Global Innovation and Development Initiative Program are taught by senior experts from Alibaba Group and experienced industry practitioners. The curriculum is divided into two major sections: China's digital development experience and Alibaba's business practice experience. The program spans a few weeks and includes short-term workshops, online courses, and other educational programs, combining theoretical knowledge with hands-on practice. Additionally, the offline program includes visits to unmanned logistics warehouses, a Taobao Village,a Boxmart Village, a Rhino Factory and similar sites.

The Report shows that over the past seven years, 140 public policymakers and more than 4,000 entrepreneurs from more than 70 countries and territories worldwide have participated in the training, with 2,331 receiving certificates of completion. Of the participants, 31 percent were from e-commerce and trade-related areas, while the remaining attendees represented fields such as agriculture, logistics, retail and marketing. Participants were predominantly male (71 percent), and there were slightly more young entrepreneurs under the age of 35 (48.02 percent) than entrepreneurs over the age of 35 (44.35 percent).

Among these participants, the largest continent originated from the Philippines, totaling to 414. It is worth noting that 40% of the Filipino participants were women, reflecting the relatively large presence of women in entrepreneurship in the Philippines.

Report presents digital entrepreneurship boom across continents.

Over the course of seven years, the Global Innovation and Development Initiative program has also witnessed a change in the perception of digital transformation among entrepreneurs around the world.

Before 2019, Program Director Eve Xia highlighted that a key aspect of the course was to introduce participants to digitalization practices in China, such as visiting a Taobao Village, a Box Horse Village and similar sights. At that time, participants from all continents discussed whether digitization was necessary. However, following the Covid pandemic, the importance of digitalization had become evident which lead class discussion to shift from deliberating the necessity of digitalization to towards discussing how to enhance local digitalization.

Inspired by the development of China's digital economy and Alibaba's digital practices, participants from all over the world started to explore their country’s entrepreneurial landscape, with the aim of capitalizing their nations’ digital potential.

The Report highlights that, between 2017 and 2023, Africa’s digital infrastructure landscape has been characterized by both significant growth and challenges. According to feedback from participants, the continent is strengthening its digital infrastructure, including Internet connectivity, e-commerce platforms, digital payment systems and logistics, as a means of driving economic growth and development.

African entrepreneurs are actively engaged in bolstering the continent’s digital landscape. Participants from North Africa are particularly focused on market access conditions for digital products and services, as well as enhancing mobile infrastructure. South African entrepreneurs are directing their efforts to fintech innovations such as mobile payments. Moreover, they are actively involved in expanding the digitization retail marketplaces and supply chain management, while ensuring compliance to regulatory changes in data privacy and security. The surge in digital entrepreneurship has also strengthened the demand for technical talent such as programming and data analytics. However, power instability also plagues entrepreneurs in Africa, particularly in West Africa.

The rapid expansion of e-commerce in Southeast Asia is supported by a significant increase in Internet penetration in Asia between 2017 and 2023. This growth is further underpinned by the rapid development of network infrastructure in countries such as India, and the development of regional freight and logistics networks. According to the Report, Asian entrepreneurs are increasingly focused on the digitization of traditional industries and services. Technologies such as blockchain and artificial intelligence have emerged as digital tools of interest for entrepreneurs in Southeast Asian. Meanwhile, Central Asian entrepreneurs are expanding to international markets through cross-border e-commerce. In contrast, energy-rich West Asia is attracting entrepreneurs seeking to digitally transform the traditional oil and gas industries.

In Latin America, the proliferation of 4G networks and the initial deployment of 5G networks have gradually improved Internet access. The Report shows that, while cash still dominates, the use of electronic payments and mobile wallets is increasing. Furthermore, the development and implementation of policy and regulatory frameworks for the digital economy are gradually improving. These changes have resulted in a notable growth in the use of digital services, particularly the use of local e-commerce platforms. However, improvements in logistics infrastructure have been relatively slow due to challenging geographic and economic conditions. Against this backdrop, entrepreneurs in Latin America are more focused on leveraging digitalization to perserve local culture. Moreover, there is a growing demand for more equitable access to financial services.

Program graduate establishes company focusing on women's entrepreneurship.

From "doing business" to "solving specific problems".

Over the past seven years, the Alibaba Global Innovation and Development Initiative program has interacted with, promoted and influenced more than 4,000 entrepreneurs.

Eka Lorena Surbakti (right) helping female entrepreneurs to sell handmade products.

In December 2023, Eka Lorena Surbakti, who had recently completed the offline section of the Global Initiative for Innovation and Development program, was unable to hide her excitement, "I am finally here at Alibaba."

Three years ago, Indonesian entrepreneur Eka Lorena Surbaktif found herself in the midst of a period of career uncertainty. Despite running a successful business, she struggled with a lack of personal fulfilment and purpose: "I wanted to help entrepreneurs in Indonesia, but I didn't know how."

During the epidemic, Eka Lorena Surbakti enrolled in an online training course organized by Alibaba's Global Innovation and Development Initiative (GIDI) program. Through these online training sessions, Eka Lorena Surbakti gained a more comprehensive and in-depth understanding of China's digitalization trends. Moreover, the Chinese company's guiding principle of solving problems as a foundational principle resonated strongly with her.

"The company I was previously involved with was a traditional logistics company founded in the 1970s. Through the course, I didn't just learn about the progress of digitization in China, but what impressed me was the role of digitization in fueling and transforming various industries." Eka Lorena Surbakti said, "At the same time, I gained a new logic of thinking - not to think about just doing business, but to think about who my customers are and what specific problems I want to solve in Indonesia."

After completing the online program, Eka Lorena Surbakti refined the concept of "helping Indonesian entrepreneurs" and specifically focused it on "helping Indonesian MSMEs, especially women and young entrepreneurs". She subsequently adjusted her company's strategy to reflect this change in vision. Inspired by the class, she founded Bawa Indonesia Global in 2021. This business-to-business (B2B) platform allows Indonesian women to sell handmade products directly to corporate clients online. Additionally, she has partnered with Gadjah Mada University, one of Indonesia's top universities, to support youth entrepreneurship.

Today, the company, which was founded only 2 years ago, boasts a seller base comprised of 70% female entrepreneurs. The platform has successfully facilitated a cumulative total of $520,000 in deals for the SMEs.

"The Global Innovation and Development Initiative program has opened my mind to thinking beyond my original traditional mindset." Eka said, "Even the smallest entrepreneurs can trade in Indonesia and have a place in global trade. Alibaba has achieved this, and I believe I can do it in Indonesia as well."