Ambassador Speeches

Remarks of U.S Ambassador to Zambia Carmen Martinez at the Opening Ceremony of the Patents and Company Registration Office (PACRO) Business Registration Customer Service Center: a USAID-Millennium Challenge Account Threshold Project

Lusaka
November 9, 2006

Acting Minister of Commerce, Trade, and Industry, Mr. Felix Mutati
Secretary to the Treasury, Mr. Evans Chibiliti
PACRO Registrar Mrs. Anessie Michael Banda-Bobo
Distinguished Guests

I am thrilled to join you today to celebrate the opening of the new automated Customer Service Center at the Patents and Company Registration Office’s (also know as “PACRO”).

The fact that we stand here today, scissors in hand, ready to open this new center is a testament to the tangible benefits that can be achieved through the dynamic partnership between our two countries, as exemplified by the Millennium Challenge Account Threshold Program, or MCA.
The Zambia MCA program began just over four months ago. This program brings to Zambia over $22 million in technical assistance to tackle key administrative barriers to trade and investment. More importantly, it has generated a full commitment from our two governments to actively address these barriers with concrete results as our end goals.

PACRO, under Mrs. Banda-Bobo’s leadership, set a high standard for aggressively tackling a key constraint to investment and business development, that of registering and starting a business. Showing a visionary and vibrant commitment to reform, the PACRO staff re-engineered and automated the entire business registration process, transforming the process for starting a new business in Zambia. From a time-consuming hurdle that could take several weeks or more, the process is now a streamlined, automated 1-stop shop that completes the registration process in a single day – and in some cases, in just a matter of an hour or two.

Our PACRO partnership brought together the expertise, commitment, and leadership of the Zambian government with technical and human resource assistance from the United States. The U.S. Government’s technical support was responsive to enthusiastic Zambian Government leadership, enabling us to complete this activity within 3 months of start-up. Mrs. Banda-Bobo, you and your staff have set an example for all of us in government service, and you have certainly lived up to the PACRO motto that “Business Starts Here!”

Two other partnerships demand recognition today. First, I must salute the Secretary to the Treasury. Mr. Chibiliti is the MCA Threshold Program’s supervisor and coordinator, chairing the committee that oversees all MCA activities. His firm and decisive leadership is driving the program to ever-more impressive outcomes.

Secondly, the Private Sector Development Program (also known as PSD), under the leadership of the Ministry of Commerce, Trade, and Industry, gathers multiple Zambian ministries, the private sector, and cooperating partners to enhance Zambia’s attractiveness for trade and investment. The PACRO success we celebrate today is among the first “deliverables” under the PSD program. We are happy to be partnering with our PSD colleagues.
The Millennium Challenge Account introduces a new approach to development support. Under the MCA, the United States directs assistance to those countries that rule justly, invest in people, and encourage economic freedom.

The MCA is built on the belief that sustainable economic growth occurs fastest in countries that adopt and adhere to good policies. As such, the MCA urges partner governments to maintain a clear focus on performance, results, and accountability.

Here in Zambia, the MCA is investing $22 million over a two-year period through the Zambia MCA Threshold Project, which aims to enhance the capacity of the Zambian Government to reduce corruption, remove barriers to investment and trade, and provide more effective services to citizens.

For Zambia to become the vibrant economy that it aspires to be, significant progress must be made in lowering the costs of doing business, both by removing cumbersome barriers and by breaking the cycle of corruption.

President Mwanawasa has led an active campaign against corruption, adopting a zero-tolerance policy for corruption, and has approved a number of important initiatives and institutional reforms to advance toward that goal.

Several international donors, including the United States, already support the Government’s efforts to address widespread corruption. The Danish, Norwegian, and British donor agencies have all provided material support and technical assistance to the Anti-Corruption Commission, particularly in the areas of investigations and enforcement.

Under the MCA Threshold Program, the Zambian Government, civil society, and private sector will further minimize opportunities for corruption by promoting greater transparency in government, while at the same time encouraging business and investor activity by directly tackling administrative barriers and improving border management operations.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) office in Zambia is delivering the technical and material assistance needed for the government to implement the MCA Threshold Program and achieve its important objectives. In the coming months, we hope to see all of you at many more events like today to celebrate the Zambian Government’s progress and achievements towards these goals.

The Millennium Challenge Corporation, USAID, and the people of the United States of America are proud to partner with Zambia in achieving this important milestone.

Thank you very much and good luck.