EU hails Mombasa leaders for improving ease of doing business

What you need to know:

EU team said the ease of doing business that had been made possible through automated services in trade, investment, energy and industry encourages investments.
EU is planning to support the county improve infrastructure such as roads to boost its investments and keep entrepreneurs informed about legislative procedures in Mombasa.
It will also share information about trade and investments as well as business opportunities with Mombasa traders to spur growth and investments.

European Union (EU) trade advisors have hailed Mombasa County for automating processes, saying this has hastened trading and reduced the cost of doing business.

The five-member team said the ease of doing business that had been made possible through automated services in trade, investment, energy and industry encourages investments.

“It is important for our investors to know about ongoing developments and initiatives put in place by the county government in partnership with the private sector and other business actors.

This meeting has been an opportunity for us to know about what the county government is doing to improve the business and investment environment,” said Alessandro Tonoli, leader of the delegation.

“There has been significant improvement in the business environment over the last few years in Mombasa and Kenya in general. We have learned that there are a number of new initiatives, such as a business portal for national and foreign investors in Mombasa, which we consider an excellent opportunity to share information with our contacts,” he added.

He spoke on Tuesday during a meeting with department heads, representatives of the Kenya Association of Manufacturers, Mombasa Invest and other partners to discuss developments and plans by the county government to improve the business environment for investors.

Mr Tonoli said that plans were underway to support the county improve infrastructure such as roads to boost its investments and keep entrepreneurs informed about legislative procedures in Mombasa.

The delegation also pledged to share information about trade and investments as well as business opportunities with Mombasa traders to spur growth and investments.

Chief Officer Trade, Investment, Energy and Industry Abdulwahab Mbarak — who represented Trade Executive Hamisi Mwaguya — said the county had eased the process of acquiring business and construction permits with online portals, unlike in the past when businessmen encountered huge challenges and costs in acquiring the documents.

KAM executive officer Susan Gitau said that there has been significant improvement in terms of doing business in the county, adding that they would continue engaging the county on ways of improving.