Zambia ranks just below South Africa in Africa on the World Bank Ease of Doing Business index.
Heading up the list are Rwanda (ranked 56 in world), Botswana (71), South Africa (74) and Zambia (98).
Between the 2016 and 2017 reports Zambia dropped on every measure, with the exception of registering property and resolving insolvency. In 2016 it ranked 94th globally on the Ease of Doing Business Index.
For the logistics industry, the important measure is “Trading across borders,” where the country was ranked 161st in 2016 and 2017.
The highest score is “Getting credit,” where it is ranked 20th in the world. However, credit is very expensive.
Commercial bank lending rates have been around 44%, according to Mwansa Chalwe, former financial adviser to Botswana Confederation of Commerce, Industry and Manpower (BOCCIM).