The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

THE Grand Bahama Port Authority (GBPA) has developed a "one-stop shop" business portal aimed at eliminating "irrelevant and cumbersome'" processes, its president said yesterday.

Ian Rolle, delivering a presentation to the Rotary Club of Southeast Nassau, said: "For many years we have been representing the Port Authority as a one-stop shop. In reality, the Port Authority was simply one of the stops on the way.

"In order to alleviate a number of irrelevant and cumbersome processes, this particular model has been created by the Port and recently presented to the Ease of Doing Business committee."

Mr Rolle explained that the intent of the portal is to give investors, local and foreign, the ability to apply for and track their progress in the approvals process. "Right now it's sort of a cumbersome process. An investor comes in, not just to Freeport but anywhere in the Bahamas, and is told by an organisation that they need to do x, y and z, and when they come back they are told they then need to do a, b and c," he added.

Mr Rolle said the business portal would ultimately eliminate a lot of investor frustration. "The objective of the portal is to create a world class, one-stop shop to manage all of the Grand Bahama Port Authority and government approvals with specific guidelines," he added. "Where matters need to be referred to central government, a clearly defined timeline will be established in line with best industry standards."

Mr Rolle said challenges with regard to approvals often include overlapping information requests, requirements for different types of businesses not being known up-front ,and total reliance on third parties such as attorneys.

He added that the portal would create an easier flow and minimise attorney involvement, with processes being run concurrently as opposed to the current situation where one agency awaits the other.