Rwandan economist John Bosco Kalisa, who was last month appointed as CEO of the East African Business Council (EABC), has hit the ground running; traversing the region and meeting stakeholders as he is determined to enhance the business environment in the region.
Kalisa recently stressed that the private sector is a key player in job creation and development and should therefore take centre stage in the regional integration agenda.
Speaking to The New Times from Kampala, Uganda, on Thursday, July 15, Kalisa listed the top 12 priority areas he is working on to improve business in the region.
1. Support the EAC economic recovery agenda by prioritizing those sectors that were heavily affected by the Covid-19 pandemic such as tourism, agriculture and light manufacturing.
2. Tackling emerging or new non-tariff barriers (NTBs) caused by Covid-19 such as cumbersome administrative testing and issuing PCR certificates. "We need to advocate for mutual recognition of Covid-19 certificates," he said.
3. Roll out sensitization and awareness activities among the regional business community on the benefits of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). The historic Agreement, which now boasts 40 ratifications, was initialled in Kigali, on March 21, 2018, and aims to create the largest free-trade area in the world and reduce all trade costs – eliminate 90 per cent of tariffs – on the continent.
4. His other priority is reactivating and strengthening the private sector technical working group with the EAC "with the view to improve the business environment in the region." Together with his predecessor and current East African Community (EAC) Secretary-General, Peter Mathuki, Kalisa, on July 8, launched the EAC-EABC Technical Working Group (TWG). The new initiative will work to strengthen collaboration and partnership between the EAC and EABC in order to improve the business environment.
5. To map out and promote the EAC regional value chains for the purposes of increasing intra-regional trade, and trade with the rest of the world.
6. Encourage and promote constant and constructive engagements with women and the youth in business so as to be able to effectively participate in trade and investment across the region.
7. Promote and support the roll out of digital tools and platforms "as key enablers for building business sustainability and resilience."
8. Negotiate with regional banks and development partners for less costly and affordable finance to support business continuity and recovery from effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.
9. Engage both the northern and central transport corridors to fast track clearance of goods at the ports in order to reduce associated time costs.
10. Work closely with regional investment promotion agencies to promote cross border investment flows by encouraging joint ventures and sharing critical trade and investment information. "Engaging the regional investment promotion agencies with a view to harmonise investment incentives and framework will be critical."
11. Kalisa also wants to position the EABC and the EAC as preferred investment and trade centres in Africa. "On investment, my focus is to promote cross border investment by ensuring that if you invest in one of the EAC partner states you are able to access the entire regional market."
12. And, last but not least, he wants to initiate and build strong partnerships with other regional, continental and multinational organizations such as COMESA, SADC, AfCFTA Secretariat, UNECA, the African Development Bank, the Trade and Development Bank, AGRA, the Corporate Council on Africa, Mastercard Foundation and development partners engaged in supporting and promoting trade and investment.