Zambia is becoming more attractive to investors. The country improved from 87th to 85th place in 2019 in terms of ease of doing business among 190 countries.Protection of minority investors and resolving insolvency both improved.There has been a steady rise since 2015, when Edgar Chagwa was president.
In contrast, Zambia’s position on the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index decreased from 105th to 113th out of 123 countries between 2018 and 2019. This is after remaining stable since 2011.In comparison, South Africa was ranked 70th in 2018, Namibia 56th, and Tanzania 96th.The Corruption Perceptions Index ranks countries and territories based on how corrupt their public sector is perceived to be. Zambia is ranked 155th in the “trading across borders” category of the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business rankings.
Zambia trading across borders rankingIt is cheaper to export from Zambia than South Africa or the sub-Saharan Africa average, according to the Doing Business 2020 index.However, it takes much longer for border and documentary compliance.For imports, Zambia is more expensive than South Africa, but below the sub-Saharan Africa average.