QuestionnaireSource: Africa: Rivista trimestrale di studi e documentazione dell’Istituto italiano per l’Africae l’Oriente, Anno 14, No. 5/6, Atti del III convegno sui rapporti economici e commerciali conil continente africano (SETTEMBRE-DICEMBRE 1959), pp. 345-347Published by: Istituto Italiano per l'Africa e l'Oriente (IsIAO)Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/40759365 .

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Questionnaire

Pion de développement économique 1) Quelles sont les caractéristiques de l'organisation du plan

de développement du pays? Le plan jouit-il d'une com- plète indépendance financière? S 'occupe- t-il directement de l'allocation des fonds nécessaires ou bien est-il as- sujetti à quelque forme de contrôle? Suit-il des principes rigides dans les mesures d'exécution ou peut-il agir avec une certaine élasticité?

2) La réalisation du plan de développement économique est- elle confinée exclusivement à l'administration du plan ou bien quelques tâches sont-elles confiées à d'autres orga- nes gouvernementaux?

3) L'organisation du plan est elle composée essentiellement de citoyens du pays ou bien comprend-elle aussi des ex- perts étrangers? Dans ce dernier cas, quels sont les prin- cipes suivis dans le choix de la nationalité des experts?

4) Est-il possible d'insérer des experts italiens dans l'orga- nisation du plan? 5) L'organisation du plan donne-t-elle des instructions à

un ingénieur-conseil pour préparer les projets de travaux et ensuite en confie-t-elle l'exécution à d'autres sociétés? Quelle est la procédure suivie, dans ce cas? L'organisa- tion du plan choisit-elle elle-même les sociétés auxquel- les l'exécution des travaux doit être confiée ou bien de- mande-t-elle l'opinion de l'ingénieur-conseil qui a pré- paré le projet?

6) Quels sont les critères suivis dans le choix de l'ingénieur- conseil? Y a-t-il une liste de sociétés officiellement re- connues dans ce but par l'organisation du plan? En ce cas, comment l'inscription dans la liste est-elle réglée?

7) Quels sont les principes suivis dans le choix des sociétés auxquelles est confiée l'exécution des travaux? Sont-elles choisies par appel d'offres ou bien par négociations pri- vées ou encore parfois par le premier système et par- fois par le deuxième? Si c'est le deuxième système qui est adopté, y a-t-il une liste de sociétés officiellement re- connues pour l'organisation du plan? Si oui, comment l'inscription dans la liste est-elle réglée?

8) L'organisation aurait-elle intérêt à avoir la coopération de sociétés spécialisées italiennes pour la préparation des programmes et des projets y relatifs? 9) Quel est le montant des fonds annuellement alloués à

l'organisation du plan? Y a-t-il des sources internatio- nales de financement, particulièrement par l'entremise de l'International Cooperation Administration ou la Ban- que Internationale pour la Reconstruction et le Déve- loppement?

10) Nous désirerions connaître, même brièvement, comment les buts du plan de développement économique sont distribués parmi les différentes branches d'activité, et quels sont les secteurs qui jouissent de priorité.

11) Pour ce qui concerne la construction de barrages et de centrales hydroélectriques, y a-t-il des travaux pour les- quels les projets n'ont pas encore été adjugés?

12) De quel pourcentage prévoit-on que le revenu national et le -revenu par habitant seront augmentés annuelle- ment à la suite de l'exécution du plan de développement économique?

Situation industrielle 13) Le gouvernement accorde-t-il des facilités de différente

espèce (fiscales, douanières, financières, etc.) aux entre- preneurs qui installent de nuovelles industries? Si oui, quels sont les détails relatifs à ces facilités?

14) Est-il vrai que le gouvernement contrôle la plupart des industries du pays? Comment ce contrôle est-il exercé?

15) Quelle est la charge fiscale totale sur la production in- dustrielle?

Réglementation du travail 16) Quelles sont les lois sur le travail? Quels sont les salai- res moyens et quelle est la moyenne pour les travail-

leurs hommes et femmes? Y a-t-il des syndicats ouvriers, et dans le cas affirmatif, quelle est leur influence?

Investissements étrangers 17) Quelle est l'attitude du gouvernement envers les inves-

tissements étrangers? Y a-t-il une loi spéciale pour fa- ciliter ces investissements? 18) Quels sont les principaux pays qui ont déjà fait des in-

vestissements, et pour quelles branches le capital étran- ger démontre-t-il préférences?

19) De quelle façon les investissements étrangers peuvent-ils contribuer au développement du pays? Dans quelles ré- gions? Dans quelles industries?

20) Quelle est l'espèce d'investissement qui reçoit le plus d'assistance de la part du gouvernment, et de quelle fa- çon?

21) La formation de compagnies mixtes est-elle la forme d'in- vestissement préféré par le gouvernement ou bien per- met-il aussi l'ouverture de filiales de sociétés étrangères?

22) Les dividendes et profits d'entreprises productives ins- tallées moyennant l'investissement de capitaux étran- gers peuvent-ils être librement transférés à l'étranger? Les capitaux desinvestis peuvent-ils être librement trans- férés?

23) Des entreprises faisant des investissements productifs peuvent-elles contracter sur place des dettes à court, moyen et long terme, et en cas affirmatif, dans quelles limites?

24) Des investissements sous la forme d'apport de machines sont-ils consentis? A quelle lois cette forme d'investisse- ment est-elle assujettie? Quelles sont les conditions pour le rapatriement du capital représenté par les machines ou par l'outillage, et combien de temps après la date de l'investissement le capital peut-il être re-transféré à l'étranger, et dans quelles limites de somme?

25) Quelles restrictions existent au sujet de la cession à des ressortissants locaux ou étrangers des capitaux étrangers investis dans le pays?

26) Quelles formalités de change doivent-elles être observées au sujet des investissements, désinvestissements et trans- ferts de dividendes et profits? En particulier, le revenu ou le capital desinvesti peut-il être transféré à l'étranger dans une monnaie différente dç celle originairement im- portée dans le pays?

27) A quels impôts les étrangers et les entreprises étrangè- res sont-ils assujettis? Sont-ils imposés sur la même base que les ressortissant du pays ou bien y a-t-il un traite- ment discriminatoire?

28) A quels impôts spécifiques les sociétés sont-elles assujet- ties? Nous désirerions connaître les noms des différents impôts ainsi que quelques détails sur leur incidence et le système d'application.

29) Des impôts locaux sont- ils perçus sur les entreprises in- dustrielles, en sus des impôts d'Etat? iSi oui, nous dési- rerions connaître les noms de ces impôts, ainsi que leur incidence et le système d'application.

30) Quel est le système suivi pour la fixation et le payement des impôts nationaux et locaux? 31) Le transfert à l'étranger de tout ou partie du capital investi et du revenu est-il strictement subordonné au

payement des impôts, ou bien peut-il également avoir lieu avant le payement, moyennant des garanties suffi- santes? De quelle espèce seraient ces garanties?

32) Le gouvernement est-il prêt à conclure un accord inter- national pour éviter la double imposition?

33) Quelles lois gouvernent l'émission de prêts à l'étranger de la part d'individus ou de sociétés? La permission préa- lable du gouvernement est-elle nécessaire? 34) Pour ce qui concerne les lois sur les entreprises indus-

trielles, les étrangers reçoivent-ils le même traitement que les nationaux?

35) Existe-t-il des restrictions pour des étrangers au sujet de la nationalité des actionnaires, des membres du person- nel ou du conseil d'administration des entreprises?

36) Quelles sont les lois sur l'ouverture de sièges principaux et d'agences de banques étrangères? Quels est le point de vue du gouvernement au sujet de l'établissement de banques mixtes?

37) Quelles sont les garantíeis légales dû droit de propriété? 38) Croit-on possible la coopération avec l'industrie italienne

pour le développement d'activités destinées non seulement à couvrir la demande du marché intérieur, mais aussi pour alimenter des courants d'exportation vers les mar- chés voisins?

Aide technique 39) Quelles sont les disponibilités de dirigeants et main d'oeu-

vre qualifiée? 40) Que fait-on pour l'entraînement des dirigeants et de la

main d'oeuvre qualifiée? Sous quelle forme préférerait-on l'aide sur ce sujet?

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41) Quelles sont les lois sur remploi des techniciens, des di- rigeants et des travailleurs qualifiés étrangers?

42) Quelle sont les conditions sur le transfert à l'étranger, par des étrangers, des sommes dérivant d'appointements, salaires, assurances et pensions?

43) Croyez- vous qu'une initiative italienne destinée à ac- cueillir un certain nombre de techniciens locaux pour une période d'entraînement pourrait présenter de l'in- térêt?

44) Sur quelles branches d'industries ces techniciens de- vraient-ils être dirigés?

45) Le gouvernement couvrirait-il les dépenses de voyage de

ces techniciens, si les dépenses de leur séjour en Italie étaient couvertes par les sociétés qui leur donneraient l'hospitalité?

Commerce étranger et politique des devises

46) -Quels sont les contingents d'importation de la zone dol- lar, de la zone du franc français, et des autres zones mo- nétaires? Comment sont-ils calculés: sont-ils globaux ou nationaux?

47) Y a-t-il des lois obligeant les entreprises locales à acheter seulement des produits locaux? Si oui, pour quels pro- duits ces lois sont-elles en vigueur?

Questionnaire Plan of Economie Development 1) What is the pattern of the Plan Organization set up

for the development of your country? Does it enjoy com- , plete financial independence? Does it provide directly for the implementation of the plan and therefore for . the allocation of the available funds or is it subject to some form of control? Does it follow strict principles in connection with the implementation of the Plan or can it act with a certain elasticity?

2) Is the realization of the plan for your Country's ec- onomic development entrusted exclusively to the Plan Organization or rare some tasks entrusted to other Gov- ernment agencies?

3) Is the Plan Organization composed essentially of na- tional personnel or do foreign experts also belong to it? In the latter case, what principles are followed in select- ing the nationality of the experts?

4) Is it held to be possible to insert Italian experts into the Plan Organization?

5) Does the Plan Organization first instruct a consulting engineer to draw up work projects, and does it then entrust the execution of the works to other firms? What is the usage adopted in both these cases? Does the Plan Organization decide by itself to which firms the material execution of the works is to be entrusted or does it as the opinion of the consulting engineer who drew up the project?

6) What principles are adopted for the choice of the con- sulting engineer? Is there a Ijst of firms officially recog- nized toy the Plan Organization for. this purpose? In this case, how is admission^ to this list regulated?

7) What principles are adopted for the choice of the firms to which the execution of the works is contracted? Are they chosen as the result of regular bids or through private negotiations or by resorting sometimes to the former and sometimes to the latter system? In the case of the latter system being adopted, is there a list of firms officially recognized by the Plan Organization? If so, how is admission to this list regulated?

8) Would the organization be interested in having Ital- ian firms specializing in technical consultation co-operate in the drawing up of the programmes and related build- ing projects?

9) What is the amount of the funds yearly made available to the Plan Organization? Are there international sour- ces of finance, particularly through the International Cooperation Administration or the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development?

10) We should like to know, even if only in synthesis, how the -targets of the plan of economic development are distributed among the different branches of activity, and which sectors will be given priority.

11) Within the framework of the plan of dam and power- station construction, are there still works on which pro- jecting has not yet been started or the execution of which has not yet been contracted?

12) By how much is the national income and the per capita income expected to increase yearly as a result of the im- plementation of the plan of economic development?

Industrio! Situotion

13) Does your Government grant facilities of various kinds (fiscal, customs, finance, etc.) to operators setting up new industries? If so, what are the particolare relating to the facilities granted?

14) Is it true that your 'Government controls most of the country's industries? How is this control carried out?

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15) What is the total tax burden weighing on industrial production?

Labour 16) What are the provisions regulating labour in your Coun-

try? What is the average wage rate and what are the wage rates for male and female workers? Do social security measures and social charges exist? Is there any trade union organization of workers? If so, what in- fluence has it?

Foreign Investments 17) What is the attitude of your Government toward in-

vestments? Is there any special law designed to promote such investments?

18) Which are the principal countries that have so far made investments in your Country and for which sectors does foreign capital show a preference?

19) In what way can foreign investors contribute to the development of your Country? In which regions? In which industries?

20) What kind of foreign investment receives most assis- tance from your Government and in what way?

21) Is the formation of mixed companies the kind of invest- ment preferred by your Government or does it also al- low branches of foreign enterprises to be opened in its •territory?

22) Can the dividends and profits of productive enterprises set up with the investment of foreign capital be freely transferred abroad? And can the capital resulting from any later disinvestment also be freely transferred?

23) Can enterprises making productive investments in your Country contract short, medium and long term debts and, if so, within what limits?

24) Are investments in the form of machinery also allowed? What provisions is this type of investment subject to? What conditions regulate the re-transfer abroad of the capital represented by investments in machinery or tool- ing, namely how soon after the date of investment can the capital be re-transferred abroad and within what limits as regards value?

25) What restrictions exist regarding the cession to nationals or to foreigners of foreign capital invested in your Coun- try?

26) What exchange formalities have to be observed in con- nection with investments, disinvestments and transfers of dividends and profits? In particular, can the income received or the capital disinvested be transferred abroad also in currency other than that originally brought into the country?

27) What taxes are foreigners and foreign enterprises sub- ject to? Are they taxed at the same rate as national enterprises or do they receive discriminatory treatment?

28) What specific taxes are companies subject to? We should like to know the names of the different taxes together with the rates and terms of their appliance.

29) Are local taxes levied on industrial enterprises in ad- dition to the State taxes? If so, we should also like to know the names of these taxes and the rates and terms of their appliance.

30) What usage is established for the assessment and pay- ment of national and local taxes?

31) Is the transfer abroad of all or part of the invested capital and of the income produced strictly conditional on taxes having been paid or can it also be effected prior

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to the payment of taxes, provided adequate security is offered by the party concerned? Oí what nature is the security that may toe required?

32) Is your Government- Jike the Governments of other countries desirous of receiving foreign capital- ready to conclude international agreements for the purpose of avoiding double taxation?

33) What laws govern the taking up of foreign loans by your nationals or enterprises? Is it necessary to receive permission from the Government beforehand?

34) As regards the laws controlling enterprises, are foreigners treated in the same way as your nationals and enter- prises or not?

35) Do restrictions exist for foreigners as to the nationality of the shareholders, members of the personnel or of the Board of Directors of enterprises?

36) What provisions regulate the opening of head and branch offices of foreign banks in your Country? What is the attitude as regards the setting up of mixed banking in- stitutions?

37) What guarantees are provided by your Country's laws in respect of property rights?

38) Is it deemed possible to establish co-operation between Italian industry and your Country for the purpose of promoting productive activities planned not only to meet the demands of your market, but also to feed export currents to neighbouring markets?

Technical Aid

39) What supply is there of skilled manpower and executives?

40) What is being done by your Country to train skilled manpower and organize business management? In what form would aid in this work be preferred?

41 ) What ar? the laws regulating the employment of foreign technicians, skilled manpower and executives in your Country?

42) What conditions govern the transfer abroad by foreigners of sums deriving from wages or salaries, insurances and pensions?

43) Do you think that an initiative designed to get Italian industries to receive a certain number of young African technicians for a period of technical-vocational training would be of interest?

44) To which branches of industry would these technicians preferably be directed?

45) Would the authorities of your Country be willing to pay the travelling expenses of the above-mentioned tech- nicians, if the costs of their stay in Italy were borne by the firms giving them hospitality?

Foreign Trade and Exchange Policy 46) What are the quotas for imports from the dollar area,

and from the scheduled territories or countries with transferable accounts? How are they usually calculated: are they global or national? In the latter case, is there any discrimination in favour of certain countries?

47) Are there any regulations compelling local organizations to purchase only national products? If so, for what products are these regulations in force?

Risposta della Sierra Leone al Questionario

presentata da Mr. EDGAR ANTHONY WALDOCK

Questions 1-4. It is not possible to give specific answers to the questions about planning because no Plan Organisa- tion of the kind envisaged in the questions exists in Sierra Leone. Questions 1 to 4 are probably best answered as fol- lows :

The Development Secretary working in the Office of the Premier is responsible for drawing up a new co-ordinated development programme to start next year. There is no central statistics office and the amount of reliable statis- tical information available through the Departments in Gov- ernment is very limited. Economic planning therefore in terms of input and output figures, increases in the gross national product and in the per capita income is not pos- sible since the basic information on which such planning depends is just not available. In this connection it should be stated that steps to institute a national income study have been under consideration and it is hoped, through the agen- cy of one or other of the American Foundations, that some progress on this may be made in the near future. It is also the intention of the Government to establish a Central Sta- tistics Office as soon as possible but it is not yet possible to forecast when this may actually be in operation.

With this background questions 1 to 4 do not really arise. The funds for development would not in any case be in the independent control of any planning organisation. Approval of the House of Representatives would be neces- sary for the overall plan and also for any annual appropria tions required to carry it out.

It is not the present intention that planning shall evei become so rigid that spending is immutably fixed through the medium of the plan. Elasticity is considered to be es- sential since over a period of years priorities can very easily change and practical possibilities also can quickly alter. The method of implementing the proposed programme foi economic development will be through the ordinary Minis- tries and Departments of Government. It is not proposed that any plan organisation shall be set up which will over- ride the Ministries or would duplicate the staff and func- tions of the Ministries and Departments. When the prog- ramme has been approved by the House of Representatives, it will be for the Ministries concerned with the various aspects of the plan to set about implementing their sectors, with the co-ordination of activities being handled by the Of- fice of the Premier.

As the economy becomes more mature and sophisticated

naturally a more detailed and elaborate planning organisa- tion will become necessary. There would be no objection in principle to inclusion of foreign experts, in fact is seems highly likely that such experts will be increasingly neces- sary.

Question 5. Works projects are sometimes entrusted to consulting engineers and sometimes drawn up by the Pub- lic Works Department. As regards the placing of contracts for the execution of works, the general rule is that tenders are called for and the contract is awarded to the lowest ten- derer, provided it is clear that he has the financial and technical ability to carry out the work. (See the answer to Question 7). In the case of highly specialised work, the opinion of the consulting engineer might be taken on what firms specialised in the particular kind of work involved and it would be usual to accept the advice given in such circumstances.

Question 6. There is no official list of consulting en- gineers. Normally advice is sought from the Government's Agents in the United Kingdom who, since they are also agents for many other Governments throughout the itforld, have a wide experience of all branches of engineering.

Question 7. An official Register of Contractors is main- tained and contracts are not formally placed except through the means of calling for tenders from registered contractors The Register is maintained by the Director of Public Works and any firm interested could apply for admission to the list. Occasionally contracts are placed by private negotia- tion because of some special circumstances but this is not favoured and is not regarded as normal or, generally speak- ing, desirable.

Question 8. In principle the Government is interested in obtaining advice and assistance wherever it can be found Any Italian firm interested in making some specific offei would certainly be welcome and the offer would be seriously considered.

Question 9. The amount of money available for the new programme Is not yet completely known. Two million ponds has recently been granted by the United Kingdom Government as a free gift and this has in fact already been very largely committed to schemes which will be included in the programme. Loan finance has in the past been ob- tained through the London market but this source is tern-

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