What’s expected of new Brela boss

Dar es Salaam. The new chief executive officer (CEO) for the Business Registration and Licensing Agency (Brela) must hit the ground running and push for fast and efficient operational modes at the agency if his appointment is to have the required impact.

The Minister for Industry and Trade Innocent Bashungwa yesterday announced the appointment of the Bank of Tanzania (BoT) administration director Mr Godfrey Simango Nyaisa as the new Brela CEO.

Businesses are keenly watching the development and eagerly waiting to see what changes the new CEO of the agency will bring. Brela now register companies online.

Streamlining this Online Registration System (ORS) must remain the agency’s topmost task under the new CEO, according to members of the business community.

Effectively rolled out during the days of former CEO Frank Kanyusi way back in 2018, the ORS has significantly reduced the time and costs associated with registering a business.

Tanzania performed slightly better in several aspects of the World Bank’s Doing Business Report 2019 despite the fact that its overall standing remained not very convincing.

With online registration, the country did well in aspects of starting business, getting electricity, getting credit, enforcing contracts, paying taxes, registering property and construction permits by scoring more than 50 per cent.

But analysts say there was still a room for improvement which Mr Nyaisa and his team will have to work on.

“Yes, Brela is doing online registration but the complaints have been about their system which is slow,” said director of policy and advocacy at the Confederation of Tanzania Industries (CTI), Mr Akida Mnyenyelwa.

He said businesses were also complaining about delays in responses when firms send their details through Brela’s online system.

At times, he said, it took too long to update company information when submitted.

“Those issues are critical and we hope the new boss and his team will focus in solving them,” he added.

Recently, the African Development Bank approved $55 million for implementing reforms in Tanzania business environment including phase rollout of the online business registration portal of Brela.

Brela is responsible for business administration and regulation of companies’ registration, business names registration, trade and service marks registration, granting of patents and issuing of industrial license.

The former CEO Mr Frank Kanyusi was removed from office in July 2018 by former minister Charles Mwijage but the reasons for revoking his appointment were not disclosed.

Two other officials stayed on the sit at acting capacity including the latest Ms Loy Watson Mhando.

On November 21, 2019, Mr Bashungwa appointed Ms Mhando as Brela acting CEO replacing Mr Emmanuel Kakwezi who also served as acting CEO.