Oh yes Business Card distributor

Within a week of the Private Sector Annual Conference (CASP), the business community is not satisfied with the course of reforms to improve the business environment. The "boss of bosses", Rogério Manuel, said the Head of State, Philip Nyusi, should lead the public-private dialogue so that ministries take measures to facilitate business. More: President of CTA wants Nyusi dismiss ministers who do not meet the business environment reform targets. For lack of seriousness. With the XIV CASP scheduled for July 28, the President of CTA spoke of the issues that will dominate the conference, and the current crisis will be unavoidable. The debates will be animated by national and international speakers, but Rogério Manuel says that overcoming the crisis is to protect the domestic producer, mainly agricultural.

They spend 20 years of public-private relationship between CTA and Government. Since then, what has changed in the business environment?

The gains are notorious, looking for what the country is. We come from a centralized economy and, when decentralization begins, we find this platform the opportunity to lobby and advocate reforms, economic policies, to put the private sector in space that belongs to you. From that time to this, there was the passage of state enterprises to the private sector and the economy accelerated. Thanks to the public-private dialogue, we are now a desirable economy investment. At that time, it was hard to think of investing in Mozambique, but now have many entrepreneurs to invest in various areas. The coming of mega-projects and foreign investors to the country is because the legislative part that encourages investment improved, the result of discussion with the Government. Therefore, the balance of these 20 years is positive. We are pleased, although we could have done more - there are countries that came after Mozambique, like Rwanda, and have overtaken us in the business environment, because we are not in rapid reforms.

We are talking about reforms in the "Doing Business" of the World Bank? Mozambique occupies the 133rd position in a number of countries ... 189

Of course. There was a period when the reforms stopped. However, does not mean that everything is bad - there was an opening, until it could implement some reforms.

 The CASP XIV takes place at a time when Mozambique is undergoing a deep economic crisis. What outputs see the private sector to the situation?

Looking at the scenario where we are and the interests of the Government and the private sector, one of the measures would be the protection of the national producer. There is talk of a local production strategy, but this speech is merely political - there is behind these speeches, tangible activity related to local production. Let me illustrate with what happens to the production of sugar: after independence, all sugar factories (Chinavane, Mafambisse, etc ...) were standing. Countries like Swaziland were superior and even provided to Mozambique. So we could start again with the sugar production, there forms of protection. For the factory of Coca-Cola worked, there was also protection policies, because everything came from South Africa, but not now - you bring Coca-Cola South Africa to Mozambique, purchasing the product here in the country. But if there had been no such measures, this plant died because South Africa could lower prices to dominate the Mozambican market. Hence the refreshment that comes from South Africa or the sugar that comes from Swaziland have a very high rate to discourage imports. What I am claiming is that there should be incentives for the domestic producer. Here there is no protection policies for producers of rice, tomato, potato, among others. That is why we continue to spend lots of money to import products could grow locally.

The private sector does not invest in agriculture because there is no protection?

If there is protection of the national producer, entrepreneurs will have more reasons than enough to bet on agriculture. The second aspect to get out of the crisis is that we have to promote national production at the same time we create facilities for access to agricultural financing. We can discuss the production of rice or another agricultural product based on a trade finance. This is unthinkable and untenable - it has to be a specific funding. Only a crazy entrepreneur can go to a commercial bank for a loan of twenty-some percent interest to work in agriculture. They convinced the politicians that should be opening at the level of the region, for goods and people, so that all products produced or manufactured in the region come to other countries without paying duties. They are people or strategists countries because, for example, South Africa already knew it was capable of producing tomatoes to feed the whole region and then make money. But they did not open for cashews, for example, it does not produce it. If Mozambique wants to export cashew, South Africans, knowing that produce no gain nothing from it, what they do is to tax the product. There was a lack of strategic thinking on the part of Mozambique to join the SADC protocol. We opened the region and we killed all productive sectors. Now to reactivarmos, we need to reform and go back to the past. Only politicians is that they can do this, for they have signed the agreements and only they can renegotiate.

Funding for agriculture is a topic with a white beard but no solution in sight. What is failing not to have created to date, an agricultural credit?

There have been several proposals to create cushions for the credit risk and there were donors who tried to help, but it did not work. Because this effort is not enough, it needs more investment in this area, although the government is part of that investment haphazardly. For example, recently invested up millions of dollars, financed by Brazil, the acquisition of equipment to mechanize agriculture. However, these machines are in the hands of people who rent out to farmers for them to do farming. For this activity, there should be a development bank, the donors do not agree.

Are you saying that the National Investment Bank (BNI) is not a development bank?

Yes. BNI is not to play the role of development bank. Since its inception, it has been turned to large investments in infrastructure and energy. This year alone has changed the strategy and already have some funding, in partnership with a Chinese bank for the agricultural sector and, even then, the process is not clear, is not being published, and I believe to the press not It is aware of the interest that will be charged on that credit to agriculture. We as CTA, we try to find out, but had no information. These are things that are in the drawers, hidden in people's pockets, which slow the development of this country.

And how the CASP can change this scenario?

What we need is a specialized investment bank in agriculture, hence, the Annual Conference of Private-CASP Sector, we will bring the CEO of the African Development Bank, not because of the BAD, but the experience that has the former Minister Agriculture in Nigeria. We want to bring wisdom to help the Government and the private sector. We will bring the former Minister of Finance of Mauritius, we know that is a country that produces a lot of sugar, but it is evident in Tourism. It was the engine of diversification of the Mauritius economy and bring him to learn from him. We still have the ambassador of the European Union in China, which is an expert in the manufacturing area. Those industries that we see in China, she was one of desenhadoras process. It is advising four African countries, which are to excel in industrialization. We bring it because we have everything to work in the industrial area. If we see the coal we produce, we are exporting it raw and, like coal, is happening with the gas.

In 2015, the government and the CTA introduced reforms regarding the public-private dialogue, estabelendo points to the part of the evaluation. It is working on improving the business environment?

Not so much. Because there was an agreement signed with the Government on the basis of what would be public-private dialogue. If you remember, we had over a hundred items on the table to discuss, but the government asked us to reduce and we accept, given that it was the first year of governance. We reduced to just two points in each pelouro CTA, totaling 22 points. But these points, agreed last year, the Government did not exceed 12% of completion. The executive is expected to explain what is happening - it was the war or else the economic situation that have been prioritized at the expense of the private sector. But the mother was not met.

How to overcome this situation, it is not the first time that the CTA complains dies little met by the Government?

We think we should encourage the Head of State to lead this process. We agree, in 2015, that every three months, the ministers of economic portfolios should meet their responsibilities to assess their performance in arrays. We also agreed that, every six months, the Prime Minister should sit with the private sector to assess the performance of all portfolios. By the Prime Minister the two meetings were held, but by economic ministries, some made it and others do not. This lack of performance may be due to the fact that there is no requirement, it emanates from a political decision and not something regulated by law.

And how did the head of state can change the course of what is not being met by the Government?

There are two ways to resolve these situations. First, is the Head of State to use this public-private platform as a thermometer to assess their Ministers - if you do not comply with the defined matrices, then one can understand that do not serve. Thus, the President may remove them and appoint others - this is a solution. The other way is more complicated: we suggest that the public-private dialogue is governed by law, but it would take longer. Therefore, the first solution would be the ideal way - it would be as an employee that we target and say, 'You must achieve a certain bar; if not consigas, you have letter of resignation and salts because not funcionas'. This is the proposal that will lead to the Head of State.

The dialogue is not being taken seriously?

Yes and no. Recently, economist Ragendra de Sousa - who was appointed Deputy Minister of Industry and Commerce - said that in Mozambique there is no business - just have people with cards Business and more. This is ridiculous and I think it is this perception that some rulers have and, with this way of seeing things on the national business, not going anywhere. However, when this same ruler feels afflicted, especially at a time of crisis in which we are moving, sends regular inspections not to others, but to those entrepreneurs who only have cards in his pockets.

They took the statements of Sousa Ragendra as a provocation?

I do not know if his head was in place when he uttered those words. But I understand that it was something not thought of, in the case of a person of that level ... and even liked it because, some time later, the President appointed him as Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade: we see his plan for have serious entrepreneurs in the country.

The motto of this CASP is "The Challenges of Domestic Production in Economic Scenario Current". What future reserves to Mozambique?

Looking ahead, we expect everything. Tomorrow depends on the people who are in power or not cede to pressure from international partners, particularly the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The future is uncertain, we all (natural resources), but we are nothing. Now, in this CASP, we expect the business community put their concerns to the Head of State as the Private Sector Annual Conference is led by him. Hence it is to hear what is the year of the balance sheet and look forward to also listen to the Head of State about the decisions and or guidelines that will give your Government.