Zambia has moved up 11 places in the 2014 Global Ease of Doing Business (DB) index, President Michael Sata revealed Monday.
According to the President, Zambia’s rank on the Doing Business index now stands at 83 from 94 in the previous year, while in Africa, Zambia ranks eighth, in sub-Saharan Africa seventh, fifth in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and fourth in the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA).
He attributed the improvements to the introduction of the on-line name search facility, tax reforms, clarity on the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for construction permits and the One Stop Shop (OSS) for business registration.
Further, Zambia‘s ranking on the Global competitiveness index for 2013/2014 also improved from 102 to 93, thus making the country the 8th most competitive country in Africa, according to Presidet Sata.
He explained that the improvements in the business environment included the elimination of 20 unnecessary licences, reduction in the cumulative compliance cost by 26.4 percent, and a 100 percent cost reduction for the registration of businesses for preferential procurement.
“Our government recently introduced a Bill in Parliament to regulate Business Licencing as part of the Business Regulatory Reforms so as to reduce the administrative burdens, compliance costs and the number of licences and permits required in order to promote growth in sectors such as agriculture, construction, education, health, infrastructure, manufacturing and tourism,” the President said on his Facebook posting Monday.
He said his government’s reform agenda seeks to improve the business environment and reduce the cost of doing business by creating a competitive business environment that supports job and wealth creation in Zambia.
