‘Let’s change ways of doing business’

COMPANIES are ready to exploit a better SADC business climate, which at the moment is being hampered by a number of social ills, with crime and corruption being at the forefront.

This was revealed at the release of the 2007 ASCCI Business Climate Survey in Windhoek yesterday by the Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NCCI). The survey, conducted by the Association of SADC Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ASCCI), has been done annually since 2004 as a tool to keep politicians and the public abreast of business conditions that affect the SADC business community.The survey is also said to be a useful tool for lobbying and advocacy by the private sector, as well as for measuring investors’ confidence levels in individual member states.Some of the obstacles to doing business in the region cited included customs regulations, bureaucracy, exchange rate fluctuation, lack of market information and lack of affordable and reliable transportation.Addressing the meeting, NCCI President Inge Zaamwani-Kamwi said most of these difficulties could be eradicated by people changing their ways of conducting business in order to boost productivity.”The root cause of most of these problems is attitude.Attitudes need to be changed.We also have to address other issues like going back to basics – like teaching business culture.We should ask how can we improve our service culture? “Namibians should start looking at what we can do individually and collectively to address these situations,” she said.In the survey ASCCI called for regional integration, saying this could help address some the issues hindering business development and economic progress in SADC.”The obstacles to doing business suggest lack of legislative and regulatory harmonisation of standards and procedures which stifles the smoother flow of goods and services within the SADC region,” the survey concluded.ASCCI is also – through the same survey – trying to promote southern Africa to investors as location for doing business.Thirteen of the 14 SADC countries participated in the 2007 ASCCI Business Climate Survey, with the exception of Tanzania.The survey, conducted by the Association of SADC Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ASCCI), has been done annually since 2004 as a tool to keep politicians and the public abreast of business conditions that affect the SADC business community.The survey is also said to be a useful tool for lobbying and advocacy by the private sector, as well as for measuring investors’ confidence levels in individual member states.Some of the obstacles to doing business in the region cited included customs regulations, bureaucracy, exchange rate fluctuation, lack of market information and lack of affordable and reliable transportation.Addressing the meeting, NCCI President Inge Zaamwani-Kamwi said most of these difficulties could be eradicated by people changing their ways of conducting business in order to boost productivity.”The root cause of most of these problems is attitude.Attitudes need to be changed.We also have to address other issues like going back to basics – like teaching business culture.We should ask how can we improve our service culture? “Namibians should start looking at what we can do individually and collectively to address these situations,” she said.In the survey ASCCI called for regional integration, saying this could help address some the issues hindering business development and economic progress in SADC.”The obstacles to doing business suggest lack of legislative and regulatory harmonisation of standards and procedures which stifles the smoother flow of goods and services within the SADC region,” the survey concluded.ASCCI is also – through the same survey – trying to promote southern Africa to investors as location for doing business.Thirteen of the 14 SADC countries participated in the 2007 ASCCI Business Climate Survey, with the exception of Tanzania.