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Kenya to host key Africa business conference

Xinhua, April 29, 2016 Adjust font size:

Kenya on Friday said it will host World Bank-backed Ease of Doing Business Initiative Conference (EDBI) from May 3 to May 6.

Cabinet Secretary in the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Trade Adan Mohamed told journalists in Nairobi the countries taking part in the conference will share on a peer-to-peer learning basis experience on how to improve business environment.

"The conference will also highlight Kenya's reforms and creation of an enabling business environment," Mohamed said, adding that 17 countries in sub-Saharan Africa will be represented, most of them at ministerial level.

According Doing Business 2016 report, Kenya improved by 22 positions and is now ranked at number 108 in the world.

Mohamed said Kenyan reforms were hinged on leveraging digital applications on government regulatory processes, adding that in Kenya, the time required for business registration has reduced significantly.

Kenya Revenue Authority's i-Tax system, Nairobi County's e-Construction permit system, integrated with online payment e-Jijipay, the e-Citizen portal services and decentralization to the Huduma Centres established around the country ranked among the game changing reforms in 2015.

"It is now possible to register a business within 24 to 48 hours. Electricity connection now involves three simple steps while reforms have been implemented to streamline land transactions," Mohamed said.

Countries in Sub-Saharan Africa have been at the fore front of improving business environment.

"The region is starting from a very low base and so has prioritized business reforms in order to expand economic opportunities," he said.

In the Doing Business 2016 report, reforms implemented in Sub-Saharan Africa accounted for about 30 percent of the 231 reforms implemented worldwide during the past year.

EDBI has been taking place for the past seven years. The conference is grounded in need expressed by several African countries to share information and experiences about the reforms implemented in the scope of Doing Business. Endit