Download BEST-AC, the Advocacy Component

BEST – AC
.
the Advocacy Component
Ministry of Industries, Trade & Marketing
and
Private Sector Development Partners
1 March 2012
the BEST-AC project
• initially 5th component of BEST programme
• private sector driven Grant Fund
• 60 advocacy projects supported to date
• phase 1: 2004 – 2008
• phase 2: 2009 – 2013
• donors: Denmark, Sweden, UK, Netherlands
key targets
• enhance private sector competence to effectively
dialogue with government for a more inviting and
enabling business environment
• support private sector participation in national
frameworks to reform the business environment
e.g. RoadMap
eligible organisations
• Chambers of Commerce - Industry - Agriculture
national - regional - district
• economic sector membership associations
• producer associations, cooperations or groups
• women & youth support organisations (economic focus)
• civil society organisations supporting private sector
vehicles of achievement
• grants to support dialogue with government
with viable evidence-based arguments
• grants to enhance capacity and competence
of private sector membership organisations
• capacity-building to trainers & consultants in
advocacy and project management skills
• support for improved business journalism
and business advocacy reporting
• means: surveys, research, training, coaching
type of projects
• government policy and macro-economy
• research and private–public dialogue
• legislative and regulatory frameworks
• infrastructure - power, water, telecoms
• access to finance
• institutional support to PSOs
• skills training to PSOs and to consultants
• media sector – business & fiscal journalism
example of ACT project
Agricultural Council of Tanzania
lack of attractive incentives in agriculture 
• agriculture remains mostly traditional,
peasant-based, characterized by low output
• low flexibility and slow adjustment to local,
regional and global market demands
 GDP low, due to dominance agro-sector (70%)
 low value addition, such as food processing
 export opportunities not fully utilized
results ACT project
• research findings and stakeholders
recommended a set of agric incentives
• citing best practice in other countries
positive reception of report by government 
 in 2010/2011 govt removed 8 types of taxes,
duties and levies in agric sector
 in 2010/2011 govt introduced 5 non-tax
incentives in agric sector
risk for this ACT success
• government unexpectedly reintroduced the
Business Licenses Act in 2011
• as a threshold in formalizing businesses and
in terms of cost & administrative burden this
has yet unspecified consequences
ACT, HAT and VIBINDO are currently working
on measures to counter a negative impact
example of TANEXA project
Tanzania Exporters Association
Tanzanian SMEs have poor access to
credit and export guarantee schemes
– challenging conditions for access to credit
– slow, inefficient processing of credits
 SMEs starved of operational capital
 export opportunities not fully utilized
results of TANEXA project
work in progress
• research has exposed root causes
• citing best practice in other countries
positive reception of report by government 
 broad consensus obtained
 joint private - public sector committee
 preparation of proposal for new scheme
other examples of projects
• ACT : farm-gate cess / subsidized agricultural inputs
• ATE : skills development levy
• CTI : cost of power failure
• HAT : licensing fees
• RULU Arts : copyright enforcement
• TAMPA : regulatory environment in dairy sector
• TCCIA-Arusha : cross-border trade
• ZACPO : liberalization of clove market
offices
located at 3rd floor of
TPSF Private Sector House
1288 Mwaya Road
PO Box 6983
Dar es Salaam
(022) 260 1168
[email protected]
www.best-ac.org
thank you