By JUDITH NAMUTOWE –
THE Business Regulatory Act will set the stage for greater dialogue between Government and businesses in policy formulation, Deputy Commerce, Trade and Industry Minister Raymond Mpundu has said.
Mr Mpundu said this would make the licensing regime simpler, more transparent and focused on legitimate regulatory purposes.
He said this when he officiated at the one-day 2016 PMP Innovations Media and Business conference.
“The Business Regulatory Bill recently passed in Parliament has set a stage for greater dialogue between Government and businesses in policy formulation. We believe that this will make the licensing regime simpler, more transparent and focused on legitimate regulatory purposes,” Mr Mpundu said.
This conference brings together an industry mix of business leaders, government, media institutions, academia, sustainable business professionals and other agents of change.
Apart from increasing delegates knowledge on topical issues and different business and media sectors, the event offers numerous opportunities for networking and discussions on how to promote business and investment in an ever-changing market.
Mr Mpundu said the Government continued to pursue the implementation of the private sector development initiatives that promote and facilitate the development of a competitive private sector.
“For example, starting business in Zambia takes just one day. This is attributed to the creation of the One Stop Shop for company registration,” he said.
He said Zambia was ranked 8th in Africa, 5th in Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) and 4th in the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) in terms of ease of doing business.
It is further ranked the 8th most competitive country in Africa on the global Competitiveness Index.
“Because of these favourable rankings, you will agree with me that Zambia is one of the destinations for investment,” he said.