Between June 30th and July 2nd the annual Conference "Ease of Doing Business Initiative - EDBI", was held in Maputo, Mozambique. This initiative was created in 2010 by Eastern and Southern Africa countries in partnership with the World Bank Group, with the purpose of promoting the improvement of business environment in the region through discussion of issues related to the improvement of business environment between countries and sharing knowledge and experiences about reforms in East and Southern Africa.
Furthermore, they intend to increase region's participation in investment flows and export markets, taking into account the objectives of regional economic integration in Regional Economic Communities involved.
The ceremony was opened by the Minister of Industry and Trade, Armando Inroga, which stated that, since 2011, the country has made substantial reforms, especially in the industrial and commercial licensing reform to improve the business environment and the positioning of Mozambique in "Doing Business".
"With the aim of simplifying the process of starting a business, Mozambique held reforms such as the creation of a single form, a single model of licensing and the assignment of an unique tax number, which allow to develop economic activity without any other record, anywhere in the country. This year, the government approved the regulation of commercial activity with a view to the costs of SMEs could be made at the central level of municipalities, districts and provinces," said Inroga. According to the representative of the Confederation of Business Associations (CTA), Rui Monteiro at this time, one of the major challenges for SMEs has to do with access to credit.
