Government to launch eSW soon

The Government of Barbados is looking to launch the Barbados Electronic Single Window (eSW) as part of their overall digital transformation strategy.

This comment was made by Minister of Small Business, Entrepreneurship and Commerce, Dwight Sutherland, as he spoke at the Caribbean Tech Entrepreneurship Programme (CTEP) Stakeholder’s Summit and Launch yesterday morning at the Caribbean Development Bank.

“Another key element of my Government’s overall digital transformation strategy, is the soon-to-be operationalisation of the Barbados Electronic Single Window. As you may know the eSW is an environment that facilitates the electronic submission of standardised international trade and transport-related documents to a single point,” he said.

“This e-platform will allow transacting parties to fulfil their trade and transit-related requirement from anywhere. Once functional, the eSW will lend to improvements in competitiveness, providing high levels of efficiency and transparency, allow for greater revenue collection and enhance the facilitation of trade and trade logistics, allow for faster clearance of goods through the ports of entry and reduce costs including demurrage charges.”

The Minister stated that the Government was not only looking to adopt an approach intended to foster and develop entrepreneurial thinking, but also looking to transform itself as it moved towards digitization.

He highlighted the Government’s digital transformation agenda for the public service, stating that the crucial component of this agenda was the development of an e-Service platform.

He explained that this platform was intended to house a digital payment solution to facilitate online payments for Government services, adding that this would be beneficial as it would result in lower transaction costs, timely payments, higher level of revenue collection and greater overall efficiencies.

Sutherland believes that “acute attention” must be given to transforming the technological and talent of the region, the constant upgrading of the skills of persons in the field of information and technology, incorporating cyber security as part of the organisational structure of any business venture and planning for risks by incorporating a business continuity and contingency plan.

Barbados Advocate

Mailing Address:
Advocate Publishers (2000) Inc
Fontabelle, St. Michael, Barbados

Phone: (246) 467-2000
Fax: (246) 434-2020 / (246) 434-1000