Monrovia, Liberia, April 18, 2011
—The Government of Liberia, with support from the Investment Climate Advisory Services of the World Bank Group and the Investment Climate Facility in Africa, opens today new one-stop business registries in the country’s three main cities, Monrovia, Ganta and Buchanan. The one-stop business registry system will greatly simplify and speed up the process of starting a business, allowing Liberian entrepreneurs to register their business in 48 hours instead of 99 days.
With these changes, the Liberia Business Registry becomes state of the art on the African continent. Under the former system, a prospective business had to interact with several ministries and follow lengthy administrative procedures. The one-stop business registry means that all transactions linked with registering a business will take place under one roof.
“It is a new day for businesses in Liberia,” said Abu Kamara, head of the new Liberia Business Registry office in Monrovia. “It will ease enterprise formalization and facilitate enterprise growth through improved access to information and finance.”
“This one step taken by the Liberian Government is a giant leap for Liberian businesses,” said Jumoke Jagun-Dokunmu, IFC Resident Representative in Liberia. “IFC is proud to support the Government of Liberia through these simplification steps which together are creating an environment truly conducive to doing business in the country.”
The benefits associated with enterprise formalization are many, including access to finance for business development, elimination of risk of government penalties, and increased protection for employees.
About the World Bank Group
The World Bank Group is one of the world’s largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries. It comprises five closely associated institutions: the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Development Association (IDA), which together form the World Bank; the International Finance Corporation (IFC); the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA); and the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). Each institution plays a distinct role in the mission to fight poverty and improve living standards for people in the developing world. For more information, please visit
www.worldbank.org
,
www.miga.org,
and
www.ifc.org
.