Uganda improves in business ranking

Gideon Badagawa, the executive director of the Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU) has hailed Uganda's improvement in the World Bank's Doing Business ranking.

Uganda improved her ranking on World Bank's Doing Business ranking by seven places—moving up to 115 from 122 in 2015. 190 countries are ranked on the index.

"This ranking shows that as a country, we are making progress. Starting a business has been made easier thanks to the reforms at the Uganda Registration Services Bureau, the Uganda Revenue Authority has made it easier for people to pay taxes, and we have seen efforts to improve cross border trade," he says.

The report, in its 14 edition, indicates reforms in three key areas; starting a business, paying taxes and trading across borders sparked Uganda's improvement in the ranking.

Uganda is making tremendous progress when it comes to helping businesses get formalized. To encourage the multitudes of Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) that are currently trading in the informal sector, URSB has spread its wings from the head office on George Street so that enterprises can find it easier to get registered.

In Kampala, fledged functional branch offices on Kampala Road on Post office building, Lumumba Avenue at the head office of Uganda Investment Authority have been introduced. A new branch in Kikuubo, downtown Kampala has been opened.

This supplements the upcountry offices in Mbale, Mbarara, Arua and Gulu where operations have been improved with new computers and other office equipment. The implication of these offices is that you do not have to travel to Kampala to have your business registered.

You can also instantly register businesses through the online business registration system. 

"Not so long ago, we were ranked in the 165^th position. We still have a long way to go though, Kenya is ranked 92^nd and Rwanda is at 56. We have to work hard to reach where our neighbors are."