Kinshasa, April 21nd, 2021 (CPA).- The sectoral experts of the thematic group on the business climate have been participating since Monday April 19th, at Mbuela Lodge in Kasangulu, in Kongo-Central province, in a workshop organized by the national agency for promotion of investments (ANAPI), with a view to drawing up a new, more dynamic and ambitious reform roadmap, to adapt to the current socio-economic context and to the priorities of the national strategic development program (PNSD).
According to an ANAPI press release received on Wednesday at CPA, the process of improving the business climate in which DRC has been engaged since the early 2000, has made possible some progress in terms of improving the business environment and attracting investment to the country.
Several major reforms still suffer from non-implementation, while other reforms already initiated have had little impact on the ground when one considers the degree of satisfaction of beneficiaries, the same source said.
In addition, several reasons may explain these observed weaknesses, in particular the weak institutional ownership of the reform process, the weak synergy between the central power and the provinces as well as the resistance of the public administration to apply the reforms initiated.
This is how, underlines the source, with the validation of the national strategic development plan (PNSD) at the government level, the crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and the decision of the Doing Business team of the World Bank to suspend the publication of the Doing Business 2021 Report, which was expected in October 2020, to correct certain irregularities noted by the team in the collection and publication of previous data, specifying that it was becoming more than necessary to assess the reform roadmap with all stakeholders with a view to its readjustment to the current context and requirements, the source indicates.
It is within this framework that ANAPI organized from March 1st to 4th, 2021, workshops to assess the reform roadmap with all stakeholders (Administrations and reform services, private sector corporations, technical partners in development, business climate unit of the presidency more than 50 experts took part in this work, at the end of which an inventory of the implementation of this roadmap was drawn up.
The actual reforms and those deemed irrelevant to the current context have been pruned, others have been reformulated, and those requiring further reflection were referred for advanced discussions during the thematic group of sectoral expert’s workshop.
The CEO of ANAPI for courageous reforms
For the general director of ANAPI, Anthony Nkinzo Kamole, concerning today’s reforms, whether those relating to Doing Business or those relating to the general business environment, ANAPI wants it sharp, courageous and daring, because economic development and the attraction of productive and sustainable investments in DRC are conditioned by the improvement of the business environment.
« This ease in business practice must be reflected in particular, by simplification of taxation, reduction of procedures and costs of administrative formalities », he underlined in his remarks for the occasion.
As a reminder, cleaning up the business environment has been taken up as one of the pillars of the mandate of the President of the Republic, Felix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, of the Government program.
These meetings are attended by all the delegates of the reforming ministries and structures (representatives of the general secretariats, CNSS, DGI, DGDA, DGRAD, GUCE, representatives of governmental technical structures and private sector corporations (CONAREF, CTR, CPCE, COREF, FEC, FENAPEC, COPEMECO, and others) also participate in this workshop. ACP/
