16 Mar 2017

Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry has shared the progress update on the business environment initiatives with Botswana National Productivity Centre (BNPC).
This took place during BNPC’s Botswana’s Competitiveness and the Business Environment status in Francistown recently.

Speaking during the seminar, the ministry’s chief commercial officer, Mr Tebogo Motswagae said Botswana had always promoted herself to have the lowest corporate tax rate, be the safest country and be ranked least corrupt country in Africa.

“The Doing Business Report ranks economies according to 10 indicators and since 2008, we did not do well in business rankings,” he said.

Mr Motswagae said in 2011, they started to realise lower rates, which called for the improvement of the business environment and in 2013, government initiated the Reform Roadmaps through the assistance of the World Bank.

He said in the roadmaps were both legal and administrative reforms that include development of one stop shops, reducing the number of documents for import and export as well as adopting and introducing regulatory impact assessment.

Mr Motswagae encouraged stakeholders to be aware of the reforms being implemented by government to improve the Doing Business Reforms as they would standardise government processes and procedures for ease of doing business and promotion of an investment friendly climate.

The Public Procurement Asset Disposal Board constructor registration administrator, Mr Bosiame Seomile said they had already started the online services even though they had a challenge of failing to educate stakeholders.

He further said   there is no network accessibility for business people to do so online.

The G4S Regional Operations Manager, Ms Mareledi Botipeng said the initiatives were quite appealing but was worried by lack of timelines to business reforms. ENDS