The report entitled Doing Business in the East African Community 2010 was authoured by the International Finance Corporation and the World Bank Group.
The Doing Business in the East African Community 2010 Report, which was prepared as part of the EAC Investment Climate programme supported by the World Bank Group and the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development, draws data of the annual global Doing Business study and takes a detailed look at business regulations in Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda.
The Report indicates that in a year of fast-paced reform, the East African economies continued to improve their performances. It notes that the East African economies were at different stages of regulatory reforms and the average ranking for the countries was 116th out of 183 economies overall in the Doing Business 2010 Report. If each East African country were to adopt the region’s best practices for each Doing Business indicator, East Africa would rank 12th.
“A key objective of the EAC is to develop an effective common market. The Report provides a good basis for comparing regulatory performance across the region, and how this contributes to deeper regional integration,” noted Amb. Juma Mwapachu, Secretary General of the EAC.
Amb. Mwapachu said the East African Partner States were in the process of harmonising all the laws pertaining to doing business with the view to getting rid of all the “nuisance” taxes impeding business and investment in the region. The Secretary General noted that the Report underpins the strategic reforms being undertaken by the EAC Partner States in terms of doing business in the region.
The Programme Manager, Doing Business, Financial and Private Sector Development at the World Bank Group and co-author of the Report, Ms Sylvia Solf said “in times overshadowed by the global financial and economic crisis, business regulation can make an important difference for how easy it is to reorganise troubled firms to help them survive, to rebuild when demand rebounds, and to get new businesses started”.
Mr. Uledi Mussa, the Ag. Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of the East African Cooperation of the United Republic of Tanzania said the relevant Sectoral Councils at the EAC will discuss the Report’s findings with the view to addressing the challenges indentifed as impeding trade and investment in the region. The Report will form the basis for engaging thoses mentioned to be impeding doing business in the region.
“This Report shows that within the borders of the East African Community, there is already excellent experience of innovative investment climate reform that has delivered tangible benefits. EAC can improve business regulation significantly just by implementing best practices already developed in the region,” said Tim Lamont, the Regional Economist for the DFID Programme in East Africa.
Also present to witness the Report’s unveiling were Permanent Secretaries from the Ministries of the East African Community Affairs of the Partner States of Uganda and Kenya: Mrs Edith Mwanje (Republic of Uganda) and Mr. David Nalo (Republic of Kenya). Mr. David Bridgman of the World Bank Group and Mr. Keli Killu, Vice Chairman of the East African Business Council were also in attendance.
For more information about the Doing Business Report series, visit www.doingbusiness.org
