“Zambia Revenue Authority is a real model for South Sudan”, MP JUBA, 20 May 2013 - A three-member delegation that represented South Sudan in the recently concluded Network of Reformers Conference in Lusaka Zambia, has urged the government to emulate the Zambian Revenue Authority system for its “efficiency and transparency” in order to support private sector development in the country.
Hon. Bul Andrew Cosmas, MP and member of the Committee of Commerce, Energy and Mining at the National Legislative Assembly said a landlocked country like South Sudan needs an efficient and transparent revenue collection mechanism that cuts away costs associated with time wastage at clearance points. Since its inception in 2011, Hon. Bul said the well computerized and networked Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) system has worked for Zambia which he said according to ZRA officials has resulted in increased revenue collections over the years. “South Sudan is challenged that we must learn from the example of Zambia Revenue Authority”, Hon. Bul commented. To avoid congestion and time wastage at entry points for instance, Hon. Bul said importers can fill pre-clearance forms which allow them to proceed with the goods into the country as clearance process is going on. He explained that upon arrival, they [importers] can then clear their goods at any revenue office in the country’s capital. Hon. Bul Andrew Cosmas( R) and Malok Program Coordinator of South Sudan Business Forum talking to the IFC team in Juba. [Photo: Matata Safi] An initiative of the International Finance Corporation’s Investment Climate Department, the Network of Reformers seeks to bring together experts from the East and Southern African countries with participation of international experts to share success stories as well as challenges in a way that can address the pitfalls of the private sector development in the region. Speaking to a team from the IFC office Juba at the National Assembly on May 13, the group urged IFC to organize more of such conferences to expose South Sudanese technocrats from different field to benefit the young country. The delegation included Hon. Bul, Hon. Biong Pieng - Deputy Registrar, Business Registry, and Mr. Malok Malok, Program Coordinator, South Sudan Business Forum. Next year’s conference will be held in Kigali Rwanda with the delegation asking that South Sudan bids for Juba to host the 2015 conference. Reported by Matata Safi DRC bank unveils plans to invest in South South JUBA, 20 May 2013 - Rawbank, a leading financial institution in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has unveiled plans to extend its financial services to the new market in the Republic of South Sudan. Mr. Mustafa Rawji, the bank’s Director and head of marketing described the investment opportunities in South Sudan as being enormous. He said joining South Sudan’s banking market is high on their agenda as they step up efforts to regionalize the bank. According to Mr. Rawji, Congo Brazzaville, Uganda and South Africa are countries that the bank hopes to cover. “What made as a leading post-conflict bank in the DRC is, we were able to adopt our financial products to the needs of the realities of the local market”, explained Mr. Rawji after an exploratory visit to South Sudan’s capital Juba. Since it opened its first doors in 2002, Rawbank, has reportedly grown to become the biggest bank in DRC in terms of total assets and total deposits. The bank currently comprises of 40 branches all over DRC, with about 50 Automatic Teller Machines (ATMs). Mr Rawji said as a post-conflict country, South Sudan’s challenges are not different from what DRC experienced ten years ago. “We have developed a favorable opinion on investing here considering the realities on the ground. Though the final decision will have to be reached by the Bank’s board of Directors”, he said. He said the bank has tailored products such as “Ladies First” which he said was able to produce the greatest number of women entrepreneurs in the DRC. The delegation led by the Bank’s CEO Thierry Taeymans who described the visit as “successful ” held meetings among government representatives with the standing Committee on Economic and Financial Affairs, the Presidential Adviser on Economic Affairs as well as the Deputy Governor of South Sudan Central Bank. They also held meetings with the World Bank as well as the International Finical Corporation (IFC), a member of World Bank that offers investment, advisory, and asset management services to encourage private sector development in developing countries. Mr. Rawji commended the level of cooperation his group received from the IFC in coordinating and introducing them to the “right people with the right information”. “If it was not because of the World Bank and IFC, these three days would have not been so successful”, said Rwaji. Reported by Matata Safi -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "South Sudan Info - The Kob" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
