Mozambique: Government may ease opening of businesses

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Mozambique: Government may ease opening of businesses

2:00 CAT | 05 May 2020

Photo: O País

The Minister of Industry and Commerce, Carlos Mesquita, has promised to present a proposal aimed at alleviating restrictions on the formation of businesses during the state of emergency to the Council of Ministers.

Minister Mesquita visited the Unified Service Desk (Balcão de Atendimento Único – BAÚ) in the city of Maputo yesterday to learn about the introduction of shift work at the institution.

Services have been at halt to date in compliance with the measures adopted under the State of Emergency declared on March 30 and extended to April 30.

The introduction of shifts, the minister said, would allow the provision of minimal services to citizens, who are unable to open companies while the State of Emergency is in force.

“We have to think about the suspension of the Unified Service Desk functioning and perhaps relax some measures, because there are citizens wanting to set up companies, even for the manufacture of essential products to fight Covid-19,” Minister Mesquita said.

The minister promised to take the proposal to the Council of Ministers for consideration because “life has not stopped, and we have to look at aspects that have to do with the development of our economy, all the while respecting the main measures to combat this pandemic”.

Mesquita challenged the Unified Service Desk in the meantime to introduce reforms and reduce the amount of time taken to process files and allow licenses and permits to be issued, which would of itself improve the business environment in Mozambique.

To this end, “there must be a commitment on the part of BAU employees, and greater coordination between the various sectors involved in this process (Ministry of Industry and Commerce, Ministry of Economy and Finance, Ministry of Labour and Social Security and Ministry of Justice, Constitutional and Religious Affairs) so that the service provided is swift and reliable”.

“We intend to reach a stage where the citizen does not need to go to BAÚ to initiate the licensing process at all. It will be possible to do this remotely, using a mobile phone or a computer. And we are not far from that. But we do still need to make some adjustments to the current system,” he added.

Minister Mesquita also visited the Directorate of Industry and Commerce of the City of Maputo, where he learned about its operations and some of the challenges it faces.

By Edson Arante

Source: O País