MSME Day 2024: Alibaba.com Commits to Scaling AI Tools for MSMEs

Strategic plans for a diverse supplier network and enhanced trade opportunities unveiled.

 

Pakistan (Muhammad Yasir) Alibaba.com, a leading platform for global business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce and a unit of Alibaba International Digital Commerce Group, today honored businesses in their pursuit of success and global growth ahead of Micro-, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprise (MSME) Day on June 27. Reaffirming its dedication to supporting MSMEs, Alibaba.com said it has been rolling out artificial intelligence (AI) tools for global suppliers, which have so far attracted adoption by around 30,000 businesses on its platform.

This year’s MSME Day marks the seventh anniversary of the United Nations’ designation to recognize the vital role played by MSMEs in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the contributions of MSMEs to the global economy. On this meaningful occasion, Kuo Zhang, President of Alibaba.com, participated in a panel discussion on the topic of global trade during the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) bi-annual Global Review of Aid for Trade. Together with four MSMEs from Ethiopia, Vietnam, Italy and India, Zhang also joined a session held by the United Nations International Trade Centre (ITC) to celebrate MSME Day.

Emphasizing the importance of ensuring that no MSMEs in underdeveloped countries are left behind in the era of AI, Zhang mentioned that among the top 20 countries making the most frequent use of Alibaba.com’s AI tools, approximately 10 are developing countries.

“As a member of the private sector, we are honored to have worked alongside international agencies such as ITC and supported MSMEs worldwide over the past 25 years,” said Zhang. “As we promote wider adoption of our AI tools amongst MSMEs, we also hope to expand our global supplier base to cover 100,000 suppliers in the next three years. In a nutshell, we are building a global supply chain by and for MSMEs leveraging AI.”