Despite challenges in the investment climate, Rwanda Development Board (RDB) is on track with achieving the ‘two digit’ figure in world ‘Doing Business’ rankings by the year 2010.

The World Bank rankings with parameters based on how a country attracts investments, by maintaining a conducive business climate have indicated that Rwanda has implemented about 10 reforms so far. They include dealing with construction licenses, registering property, starting a business, getting credit, enforcing contracts, closing a business, trading across borders, paying taxes, employing workers and protecting investors.

According to Clare Akamanzi the RDB Deputy Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for Business Operations and Services, "We are very much on track because we (RDB) implemented all the reforms that we planned.”

Statistics from the RDB ‘Doing Business Reforms 2010 at a Glance’, report show that, for one to start a business, one will not be required to go through all the eight procedures in various offices that existed before since this was time consuming and costly.

The report shows that application forms have been merged into one single entity, incorporating the functions of Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA) and Caise Sociale du
Rwanda and payment will be within the Registrar General’s Office at RDB.

It now takes one day to receive a certificate of incorporation.

One other major reform cited is the process of getting land titles at the National Land Office. This has been simplified and the time taken to acquire a land title has been reduced to about 9 days.

Previously, application for land titles together with certified sale contract and original certificate of registration and property valuation by the district and the whole process would take 5 months.

The other major reform listed includes the paying of taxes. Tax information and payer services have been decentralized and trading across borders.

Magerwa fee charged at the border posts has been abolished except when cargo is stored at the warehouse.

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