Trade portal a giant leap forward
Mmegi Editor | Wednesday January 27, 2016 12:15
The online portal, being developed in conjunction with the World Bank as well as the Japanese International Cooperation Agency, will feature all critical trade-related data and services for domestic and foreign businesses, ranging from tariffs to statistics. Services already provided on the portal include company name search, as well as application forms, licences, permits, trading rules and requirements. The portal will lead to reduced administrative and bureaucratic burden, thereby resulting in simplified procedures. It will bring down trade costs, improve delivery and lead times while acting as a building block for the National Single Window. Although the portal’s establishment was primarily to adhere to World Trade Organisation (WTO) commitments on trade facilitation, as noted yesterday by assistant trade and industry minister, Sadique Kebonang, its objectives go far beyond that.
The portal will make it easier for traders and investors to understand, navigate and comply with regulatory requirements associated with exporting and importing, while helping Botswana to fully comply with its international obligations at WTO level.
This is particularly important as the 2016 Doing Business Report ranked Botswana 51 worldwide on the Trading Across Borders category, down from 50, due specifically to poor performance in indicators such as the time taken to export and the cost to export. The platform will improve predictability of the export/import process and improve trade competitiveness and country ranking as well as trade information transparency and efficiency.
It will increase the transparency and predictability of doing trade across Botswana borders and improve the time it takes to import, export and clear goods in and out of the country. Being online, the portal will be available 24/7 and accessible all over the globe, providing investors with free and flexible contact with Botswana’s investment offering. A trend analysis across the Doing Business and Global Competitiveness reports of the last few years will quickly show that Botswana’s sliding performance has not been so much about a deteriorating investment climate, but more aggressive initiatives by other countries.
The rise of competitiveness miracles such as Rwanda has been more about those countries addressing trouble spots in their investment climates faster and more aggressively than Botswana. Improvements in doing business and competitiveness by necessity require high-level commitment, supporting policies, budgetary support and buy-in by implementing agencies It is thus encouraging that the portal is the result of partnership between the government, its external partners and implementing agencies such as the Botswana Investment and Trade Centre (BITC). In an era where mineral revenues can no longer be relied upon for growth and sustenance, the country’s long fought battle for economic diversification will depend on its ability to woo global capital and innovation, while developing domestic export industries.
Today’s thought
“Countries all over the world are putting in place calculated domestic reforms in order to create conducive environments for trade and investment to grow within their borders.”
- Sadique Kebonang