Problems starting to dissipate

In a number of countries the problems are
starting to dissipate to a degree in consultant
Duncan Bonnett’s view.
One of the big ones is import duties and
customs regulations. “What is on paper is
for guideline purposes only because what
happens on the ground is very different
from what is put on paper – and that goes
for a lot of the regulatory environment
whether it’s investment incentives or trade
regulations,” says Bonnett.
“If you send a container in, one week you
might get hit with 20% duty plus additional
taxes while the next week there may be an
additional duty – it depends on who you
know.
“You need to ensure that your freight
forwarder has a really good partner on
the other side or that the importer is well
connected. If you have a good partner
it removes a lot of hassle in terms of
documentation, standards and the like.”
Another evergreen problem is port
infrastructure, which is a global issue.
“In Luanda they’re having to build a new
port because they physically can’t deal with
the volume of goods going in and out of the
country – it’s not simply an issue of the port
being badly managed, it simply cannot cope.”
But the good news is that ports and
airports are beginning to upgrade capacity
and new technologies are slowly changing
around the region, creating a positive
environment for continued sustained growth.