Africa

Open
4Business
Amr Kamel
Director Enterprise
Business
Microsoft SSA

The East African Community: Doing business is easier today

than in 2005

Sources: World Bank and IFC (2013) Doing Business in the East African Community 2013 World Bank and IFC (2015) Doing

However there remains to be considerable scope for

digitally-enabled reforms to improve the global ranking of EAC
economies
136
152
46

150

131

SSA accounts for 5 of

the 10 top improvers in
2013/14.
The region accounts for
the largest number of
regulatory reforms in
the past year75 of the
230 worldwide.
More than 70% of its
economies carried out

EMPIRICAL FACTS ON INTRA-AFRICAN TRADE AND INVESTMENT

IntraAfrican
Trade as
the Engine
of Growth

Total intra-African trade reached US$ 130 billion in 2011, representing

11.3 percent of African trade with the world.
African countries have generally made modest progress in boosting
intra-regional trade. Over the period 2007-2011, the average share of
intra-African exports to total merchandise exports in Africa was 11
percent, compared to 50 percent in developing Asia, 21 percent
in Latin America and the Caribbean and 70 percent in Europe.
Countries of Eastern Africa lead in the continent by virtue of the fact
that their intra-regional exports stand at 14 percent of total
exports, well above the average for developing Africa which stands at
11 percent. Countries of Western Africa assume the lead at 10
percent of total imports compared to the regional average of 12.7
percent. (2007-1011)
Source: UNCTAD (2013) Economic Development in Africa. Intra-African Trade, Unlicking
Private Sector Dynamism. Published by UNCTAD, Geneva

Africa Open 4Business Concept

Support investor-services
throughout the life-cycle of
a business establishment
Avail secure and reliable
G2G/G2B collaboration and
eInvestor self-provisioning
tools
Designed to reduce the
complexity, time and cost
of complying with business
governance and regulations

Africa
Delivering on
the
Innovation
Imperative