Doing more online could be the key to making it easier to do business in South Africa, thereby creating jobs and building economic growth.
This is according to Caralee McLiesh, an author of the World Bank’s Doing Business 2007 report. She said that doing so much online was the strength of Singapore, which the report rated as this year’s easiest country in which to do business.
South Africa’s position was 29th on the world rankings, one position down from last year.
Since then the only reform that had scored points for South Africa had been making it easier to register property.
The big barriers in trading are often the ”soft infrastructure”, such as the number of documents at customs.
”It doesn’t require lots of money [to change] but rather political will and focus.”
She said that while it involved nine documents to import goods into South Africa, Denmark and Hong Kong required only three.
”Make it online,” she stressed.
”If Ghana can, South Africa can.”
McLiesh said South Africa needed more flexible labour policies because overprotective laws could make businesses reluctant to offer jobs in the first place.
She warned that over protective labour regimes could ”protect a worker out of a job”. – Sapa