Yvonne Tsikata, World Bank Director for the Caribbean. *Photo credit: www.worldbank.org

WASHINGTON, CMC – The World Bank is providing St. Vincent and the Grenadines with a  US$2.3 million zero-interest credit allowing the Ralph Gonsalves administration to implement an Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) regional e-government integration programme.

“This initiative reflects the government’s commitment to regional integration by taking advantage of economies of scale,” said Yvonne Tsikata, World Bank Director for the Caribbean.

“An integrated e-government programme, such as this one, can reduce the cost of doing business and improve the efficiency, quality and transparency of public services,” she added.

The Washington-based financial institution said the OECS’ “E-Government for Regional Integration Programme” will help “harmonise regional e-government frameworks and applications by automating and pooling resources across the region, resulting in time- and cost-savings for governments, businesses and private citizens.”

It said it would specifically harmonise national and regional e-government information and communication technologies (ICT) platforms and frameworks.

“This component will expand public administration services by helping to connect regional and national policy, strategy, legislation and related legal and regulatory frameworks.”

The World Bank said the programme would also improve “key e-government systems,” including public financial management to “integrate existing budgeting, accounting and reporting systems and develop a web-based public information system to provide easily understandable information on government finances.”

In addition, the World Bank said the programme will aid in developing tax administration for on-line registration and electronic tax filing subsystem to complement the tax management system, as well as, among other things, create a regional customs information sharing network within the context of the upcoming OECS Economic Union.

The US$2.3 million zero-interest credit from the International Development Association (IDA) is repayable in 35 years, including a 10-year grace period.

St. Vincent and the Grenadines now joins Dominica, Grenada and St. Lucia that have received a total of US$7.2 million from the World Bank to implement the programme.

The bank said the programme is open to other OECS countries, including Antigua and Barbuda and St. Kitts and Nevis.