International Business Division pressing ahead
THE development of a Procedures Manual to guarantee certainty of process is on the cards for the International Business Division.
Word of this comes from Minister of Industry, International Business, Commerce and Small Business Development, Donville Inniss, while admitting that one of the biggest challenges faced by service providers interacting with many government departments is the uncertainty of process.
“And really and truly if from our end if we don’t get that right, if we don’t make it clear as to what is required to obtain licenses and approval, then there is inconsistency in what is requested and there is inconsistency in responses you get having fulfilled what you were told is requested… We will ensure that we alleviate that challenge with a sense of immediacy.”
Inniss, who was at the time addressing the International Business Week 2017 Conference “Prospering in the Technological Era: Innovate, Integrate, Motivate”, also disclosed that the International Business Division will be creating an online filing system supported by a comprehensive and secure document management system.
He said that his Ministry can no longer operate in the “dark ages”, where they continue to receive paper application forms.
“We must reach the stage where our interaction with you is pretty much all online,” he stressed. “Gone must be the days of sending in a lot of paperwork, that has to be printed, kept on file and you will be amazed at the amount of money that taxpayers spend in storing paper documents in files… We even have now to rent several 20 ft. or 40 ft. containers to store documents. So, we really and truly must make better use of the technology that is available, as it certainly reduces the cost and serving to its efficiency.
“And therein that technology means that from my end – the Ministry of International Business, there must be a seamless electronic relationship between Corporate Affairs and Intellectual Property Office and International Business Division,” he indicated.
The Minister also revealed the Division’s focus on staff training for skills and knowledge enhancement as well as boosting staff morale; and setting up a compliance section in the Division with the assistance of the Central Bank, the Financial Intelligence Unit, and the Financial Services Commission. (TL)