The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

The Bahamas “must make government work for the people”, the prime minister said yesterday, warning that it cannot survive at 118th place in the World Bank’s ease of doing business index.

Dr Hubert Minnis, in his contribution to the House of Assembly debate on a resolution to borrow $30m for the government’s digital transformation, said: “We must make government work for the people instead of people working for the government. Our services must become more efficient, easier to access, transparent and faster; not just for business but for every Bahamian.”

He asserted that successive administrations have paid lip service to a transformed civil service, adding: “It is this administration that will concretely and systematically address that transformation, and hence the creation of the modernisation unit within the Office of the Prime Minister and the urgent need to borrow the $30m to assist in the digital transformation. The urgency requires the weight of my office.”

Dr Minnis added that the modernisation unit has organised its work around four focal points - citizen engagement; digitisation: innovations and employee empowerment.

“Currently, we have an online presence of 400 services, that is, forms that may be obtained on-line,” he added. “These forms must be printed, completed and then physically delivered to the relevant government ministry or department. Of that 400, 14 are actually online services, but may require the user to visit more than one site.

“The 14 online services are in the Department of Inland Revenue, which has Value-Added Tax, real property tax and business licence; the Registrar General’s Department that allows the incorporation of a regular company, incorporation of an international company, filing of company documents, payment of annual fees (for international business companies and regular Bahamian companies), reserving of a company name, marriage registration, and death registration; the Public Treasury Department that permits vendor enquiry; the Department of Labour that allows employee placement; the Office of the Attorney General that has the Notary Public Licence; and the Ministry of Financial Services, Trade and Industry and Immigration which has a Trade Information Portal. I am certain, however, that in its work, the unit will discover that The Bahamas offers far more than 400 services.”

Dr Minnis said that while government ministries, departments and corporations have been making strides in the use of information and communication technologies (ICT), this has not translated into ease of doing business with the Government “as the systems do not interface”.

“The World Bank’s ease of doing business index 2018 ranks The Bahamas as 118th of 190 countries. This ranking does not augur well for encouraging Bahamian businesses or the promotion of foreign direct investment,” the Prime Minister argued.

“In addition, it does not translate into customer satisfaction of Bahamians who must use these services every day. The Bahamas cannot remain at this level and survive.”

Dr Minnis said the goal of the $30m Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) loan is to foster the competitiveness of The Bahamas by reducing the costs of conducting business with the Government.

“In addition, there are costs to Bahamians in accessing everyday services, like obtaining a passport, driver’s licence, health records and birth certificates. Bear in mind that cost includes cost in money and in time,” he added.

Breaking down the costs attached to various initiatives through the loan, Dr Minnis said $13.8m will be allocated to simplifying and digitising government procedures; strengthening institutional capacity at a cost of $9.9m; enhancing transparency and integrity in government for $3m; and project management, monitoring, evaluation, audit and contingencies in the amount of $3.3m.

“Digitisation will not be an easy task as we are so far behind, but we must be strategic in our approach. It is anticipated that we will need approximately five years to complete,” said Dr Minnis.