CIPA benchmarks with New Zealand

...implements ease of doing business reforms

Companies and Intellectual Property Authority has taken a step forward to implemet the ease of doing business reforms through the assistance of New Zealand which is rated number one in the world as far as ease of doing business is concerned, a top executive of the authority has disclosed. 

Speaking to BG Business recently, Registrar General of CIPA, Conductor Masena disclosed that the infrastructure is 75 percent complete and they are just waiting for the current sitting parliament to pass the Bill. “ Government of Botswana has partnered with the New Zealand government to modernise our business and we have already put infrastructure in place to rollout the system and the New Zealand will just come with their expertise, they are ready to start anytime, they are just waiting for us,” said Masena. 

New Zealand was first announced number one in October 2016 after Singapore had retained the top spot for over a decade.The value of the system is about P7 million on the project. The ease of doing business is a national priority under pillar one of vision 20136, which seeks to achieve sustainable economic development for the country through making Botswana a destination of choice for investment. Botswana has dramatically dropped ten places down this year in ‘Doing Business’. In 2017 Botswana was number 71 in the world and in the latest ratings, this country dropped drastically to number 81.

On a related matter, Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry, Peggy Serame, said the country has over the years been criticised for its stiff laws which are considered to be inhibiting the ease of doing business in Botswana, but according to ministry of investment, trade and industry’s that will soon come to an end. 

“To address these challenges (ease of doing business), government has adopted the doing business reform framework that is aimed towards reducing turnaround time for starting a business, paying taxes, facilitating cross border trading, issuing construction permits, just to name but a few,” said Serame.