Economic and Fiscal Update

Gabon Has Launched a Major Business Climate Reform Initiative to Foster Private Sector Involvement Axes One stop shop for investors Ease of doing business Description of the reform "National Agency for Investment Promotion" created in September 2014 as a one-stop shop for investors, to simplify business registration and guide companies in all procedures. Manager appointed following a transparent procurement process PPP Draft Law under review prior to finalization Improvement in ease of starting a business and of obtaining construction permits Improved access to credit (wider range of possible collateral, out-of-court enforcement) Grants and mentoring programs for entrepreneurs (Prize for Excellence in Entrepreneurship) Capacity building program for SMEs Year of implementation 2014-2015 2014 Support to SMES AfDB grant to support start-up incubators for young entrepreneurs 2015 Creation of an agency centralizing information on tenders for outsourcing (e.g. public procurement) to help SMEs access information Customs Tax regime Dispute One-stop shop at the port for import/export procedures and streamlined procedures "E-tax" project: development of online tax services (tele-payment) 2014 2015 Setup of a domestic arbitration court to reduce bottlenecks at court level 2015 settlement Transparency . Gabon has decided to become again a member of EITI. The President of the National Multi-stakeholder group has been appointed by the government, and the EITI roadmap has been approved by the government, with the Minister of Economy responsible for its implementation Ongoing study to implement large institutional reforms related to the National Statistical Systems Improvement in relationships with the international investor community IMF Article IV mission 2014-15 Sectoral laws Hydrocarbons code and mining code to improve transparency and business climate in extractive sectors 2014 2025 objectives: (i) to rank amongst the 10 best performers in Africa; and (ii) to create 22,000 jobs Sources: Ministry of Economy, Promotion of Investments and Prospective 21

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