Investment Climate Facility for Africa, 2nd Floor, 50 Mirambo Street, PO Box 9114, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. www.icfafrica.org Investment Climate Facility for Africa, 2nd Floor, 50 Mirambo Street, PO Box 9114, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. www.icfafrica.org

Projects by priority area as of beginning of Q1 2011

1. Burkina Faso: Three projectsThe first ICF funded project in Burkina Faso established a one-stop-shop for land registration, reducing the time it takes to transfer property from six months to 21 days.

A second project improved business registration and construction permit provision – it now takes three days rather than 18 to register a business and 19 days rather than 226 to obtain a construction permit.

A third project will establish commercial courts in Ouagadougou and Bobo-Dioulasso, reducing the time and costs of resolving disputes (currently it takes 214 days to bring a case to court in Ouagadougou).

2. Cape Verde: One projectICF is working with the Government to establish an electronic one-stop-shop for business life-cycle. The project will reduce the time taken to license business activities from 15-30 days to 2-10 days.

3. Ethiopia: One projectICF is supporting a project to modernise the Ethiopian Revenues and Customs Authority (ERCA). The

project will introduce an electronic filing and payment system to streamline procedures, reducing the time it takes to submit your tax form and effect payment to just one day.

4. Lesotho: One projectICF partnered with the government of Lesotho on a pilot project to simplify the assessment, administration and collection of VAT. It now takes two days (rather than two weeks) to register for VAT, 20 minutes (instead of three hours) to pay VAT and three signatures (instead of seven) to claim a refund.

5. Liberia: Two projects A project in partnership with the Government of Liberia computerised the manual system and provided basic computer training for 110 employees in the Customs House and Port of Monrovia. It now takes an average of 3.62 days (instead of 30) from application to release of goods, using nine procedures instead of 14.

A second project to help rationalise and speed up business registration processes in Liberia is ongoing.

6. Mali: Two projectsICF is working with the Government of Mali to reduce the time, costs and uncertainties related to fiscal dispute resolution and to modernise and strengthen the tax administration.

A second project improved commercial dispute resolution by establishing transparent and efficient procedures for resolving commercial disputes through alternative mechanisms.

7. Mauritius: One projectICF is supporting a project to modernise the Judiciary. The two year project will simplify and automate the settlement process, reducing the time and costs of lodging commercial cases in the Supreme Court. With ICF support, trial duration for commercial trials will be reduced from 180 to 100 days.

ICF focuses its activity on eight priority areas and significant success has already been achieved in a number of themes, particularly taxation, customs, commercial justice, business registration and licensing and land registration.

ICF tackles particular issues in countries where commitment to, and conditions for, successful investment climate improvements are optimal. ICF’s project portfolio consists of 39 projects including four pan-regional projects and five special initiatives. ICF activity currently covers 29 countries across the continent.

OHADA Countries

EAC Countries

OHADA Countries

EAC Countries

Latest ICF Project UpdateProjects by country as of beginning of Q1 2011

Business Registration and Licensing Business registration projects in partnership with the Governments of Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Liberia, Mozambique, Rwanda and Sierra Leone will help improve access to credit, and strengthen the private sector.

Taxation and CustomsCustoms administrationA partnership with the Government of Liberia computerised the manual paperwork system, three projects are improving customs administration in Senegal and a further project in Tanzania is modernising customs in the port of Dar es Salaam. The BAFICAA project created dialogue amongst EAC members resulting in simplified customs processes.

Tax and VAT administration A completed project in Lesotho has simplified the assessment, administration and collection of VAT. Ongoing projects in Ethiopia, Mali, Rwanda, Senegal and Zambia will modernise tax and VAT administration. The Modernisation of Domestic Taxes Administration project is reviewing the e-filing and e-payment of taxes in Lesotho, Rwanda, Tanzania and Zambia.

Property Rights and Contract Enforcement Land registration Projects with the Governments of Burkina Faso, Rwanda and Sierra Leone will improve efficiency of land administration systems, increasing access to credit and boosting investor confidence. A completed project in

Tanzania determined stakeholder demand and a possible structure for a new Land Bank.

Commercial justice The Governments of Burkina Faso, Mauritius, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Tanzania and Zambia and the Chamber of Commerce in Mali, are working with ICF to deliver commercial justice modernisation projects to facilitate business. A project with OHADA is supporting the updating of the Uniform Acts that harmonise business laws in the 17 member states whilst a partnership with the East African Community Secretariat will harmonise commercial laws within the EAC.

Anti-counterfeiting and piracy ICF is supporting the East African Community to develop a policy against counterfeiting and piracy and recommend legislation to counteract the problem. ICF has completed scoping work to determine the extent of the problem and the demand for new policies.

Infrastructure FacilitationTransport facilitationICF is supporting the Government of Sierra Leone and the private sector to improve connections for air passengers between Freetown and the International Airport, 176km away by road. A regulatory and administrative framework and infrastructure rehabilitation programme will enable the private sector to invest in improved transport means.

Power sector supportA partnership with the Rwandan Government will improve the power sector in Rwanda by enabling a better regulatory framework aimed at securing private investment for electricity generation. A Power Sector Task Force is helping governments respond to the growing deficit in power generating capacity across Africa.

Movement and security of goods and servicesICF is working with the Tanzania Police Force on a project to improve movement and security of goods and services by improving Police Force efficiency, expediting the movement of goods and enhancing highway security.

Financial Markets A Financial Sector Task Force established in partnership with ICF investors identifies and advises ICF on ‘ready to implement’ projects to improve private sector access to financial services. ICF has also partnered with the Thomson Reuters Foundation to provide a ground-breaking training programme in business and financial reporting for African journalists. Six introductory courses were hosted in Africa, followed by advanced training in Europe.

Competition, Corruption and Crime and Labour Markets ICF is currently investigating projects in these areas and welcomes applications for support.

8. Mozambique: One projectICF is supporting a project to improve business life cycle services in the tourism industry. The project will establish five regional one-stop-shops to streamline registration and licensing procedures, reducing the length of the process from 175 to 13 days for medium to large businesses, and 30 days to one day for small businesses.

9. Rwanda: Three projects The Rwanda Investment Climate Project (RICP) modernised the Judiciary, is creating a Rwanda Commercial Registration Services Agency and will improve land titling and registration. Four new commercial courts have cleared 3,333 pending cases. 9,376 new cases have been received of which 85% have been resolved and SMEs are benefiting from improved registration.

A second project will improve the energy and power sector by enabling a better regulatory framework aimed at securing private investment for electricity generation and increasing access to energy suppliers from the current 5% of the population to 16% by 2012.

A third project will modernise the country’s tax administration system by improving customer services and communications at the RRA and establishing an online filing and payment system.

10. Senegal: Four projectsICF’s first project refined the paperless electronic customs administration system, reducing the time it takes to issue pre-clearance declarations from two days to seven hours.

The second project will render the clearance process entirely paperless and link the pre-clearance platforms with Europe, Asia and East Africa. The aim is to reduce the time to clear customs from 18 to nine days.

ICF’s third project will modernise the Customs Authority by streamlining and automating the entire custom declaration system, reducing the time to declare and release goods from 33 to five days.

A fourth project will streamline tax administration by automating processes and digitalising tax records, generating significant time and cost savings.

11. Sierra Leone: Four projectsICF is supporting a project to improve connections for air passengers between Freetown and the International Airport, 176km away by road. The journey can take up to seven hours by road and alternative methods are expensive and unreliable.

ICF is supporting a regulatory and administrative framework and transport infrastructure rehabilitation to enable the private sector to invest in improved transport means. An Airport Transfer Unit will oversee licensing and monitoring of airport transfers, improve jetties and terminal facilities, and provide capacity building.

ICF is also supporting three other projects in Sierra Leone. The first aims to improve the efficiency of land administration and further registration by the Office of the Administrator and Registrar General (OARG) in Freetown, the second will establish a fast track commercial court in the capital and a third will modernise the OARG.

12. Tanzania: Four projectsICF supported Tanzania’s Judiciary to strengthen its capacity to deliver commercial justice promptly, efficiently and transparently through training of judges and court staff and the application of modern technology in courtrooms.

A second project with Tanzania’s Ministry of Lands, Housing and Human Settlements Development commissioned a study to determine stakeholder demand and a possible structure for a new Land Bank.

A third project in partnership with the Tanzania Revenue Authority will modernise customs administration in the Port of Dar es Salaam. The project will deliver an integrated custom administration software to streamline procedures, reducing the time taken to clear customs to eight days and 11 procedures.

A fourth project with the Tanzania Police Force will improve movement and security of goods and services. The project will improve Police Force efficiency via training and introduction of technology; expedite the movement of goods by streamlining procedures and removing road blocks and enhance highway security.

13. Zambia: Three projectsICF supported the government of Zambia to digitalise the Judiciary. Three courts in Lusaka now have modern real time digital court recording and case management systems and staff have been trained. Phase two of the project will extend reforms to the Copperbelt districts of Ndola and Kitwe.

A project to modernise the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) will implement a new tax system, educate tax payers and make the ZRA a more customer oriented organisation.

www.icfafrica.orgInvestment Climate Facility for Africa, 2nd Floor, 50 Mirambo Street, PO Box 9114, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

ICF PAN-AFRICAN PROJECTSBusiness Action for Improving Customs Administration in Africa (BAFICAA)This project created a productive dialogue between business, EAC and customs authorities in East Africa. Recommendations have been successfully implemented leading to simplified processes, fast track procedures and computerisation of systems.

Harmonisation of Commercial Laws in the East African Community (EAC)Partnership with the East African Community Secretariat to harmonise commercial laws within the EAC. By establishing a synchronised legal framework for partner states, the private sector will benefit from improved access to financial services. This will increase cross-border investments and bring the EAC closer to total economic integration.

Anti Counterfeiting and Piracy Policy and Legislation in the East African Community (EAC)Support to develop an EAC-wide policy against counterfeiting and piracy and recommend legislation to counteract the problem. ICF has completed scoping work to determine the extent of the problem and demand for new policies. EAC governments miss out on US$500 million a year through lost tax revenues from counterfeit goods.

Organisation pour l’Harmonisation du Droit des Affaires en Afrique (OHADA)ICF is engaged with OHADA looking at ways to harmonise business laws by reviewing and reinforcing the OHADA 8 Uniform Acts. This project aims to improve access to credit, particularly for SMEs, strengthen the private sector in OHADA countries and formalise their respective and collaborative economy.

ICF SPECIAL INITIATIVESJournalist TrainingPartnership with the Thomson Reuters Foundation to provide a ground-breaking training programme for African journalists. The programme focused on raising standards of business and financial journalism across the continent. Six introductory courses in Africa were followed by advanced training in Europe.

Power Sector Task ForceICF is supporting governments to respond to the growing deficit in power generating capacity in many African countries by seeking to make specific interventions that will remove obstacles and facilitate investment in the sector.

Capacity Building – MentoringICF is developing a mentoring programme to strengthen the capacity building initiatives within ICF projects. ICF will partner with expert organisations to mentor project team members and employees of project beneficiaries.

Financial Sector Task ForceA Financial Sector Task Force was established in partnership with ICF investors to look at improvements required to remove obstacles which prohibit private sector access to financial services.

Modernisation of Domestic Taxes AdministrationA project looking at the preparation and design of e-filing and e-payment of taxes in Lesotho, Rwanda, Tanzania and Zambia. Streamlining and modernising tax administration procedures will greatly reduce the time and costs of doing business.

OHADA Countries

EAC Countries

OHADA Countries

EAC Countries