The World Bank Board of Executive Directors today approved an International Development Association Credit of US$15 million for Grenada to support the country’s digital government strategy. The project will build on government reform efforts to provide accessible and resilient online services to citizens and businesses. It will also help to develop necessary legal and regulatory foundations and establish reliable online systems for efficient and transparent public service delivery.
“Globally, digital technology is transforming the way government, businesses, and citizens interact, and it is being used to deliver smarter, resilient, and customer-centered public services,” said Tahseen Sayed, World Bank Country Director for the Caribbean. “The World Bank is delighted to partner with Grenada as it builds a digital economy, thereby bringing public services closer to citizens, improving government efficiency, and increasing the resilience of state services during and after disasters.”
The Digital Government for Resilience Project is designed to help Grenada reduce the time spent on tax-related transactions, increase the number of civil registry transactions processed digitally, and improve continuity of government services. The project also includes institutional support for reviewing existing legislation, streamlining business processes, and training staff to lay the foundation for sustainable government digital services.
Grenada currently maintains paper files for many critical citizens and private sector services, such as birth and death registration, marriage and adoption, tax filing, government contracts, and judicial records and deeds. Many government services are done manually, take several days to process, and require physical presence. Moreover, as a small island state vulnerable to natural disasters, Grenada could lose important government archives and records and key public services could collapse in the event of a natural disaster, thereby limiting the government’s ability to respond to emergencies and hindering rapid recovery. Under the project, selected public services will be digitized and delivered electronically, and information records will be secured to ensure government continuity during emergencies.
The project will also strengthen the Government of Grenada’s institutional capacity and will introduce citizen engagement mechanisms involving both women and men, including through regular feedback systems. More efficient and transparent public services will contribute towards greater private sector participation, reduce tax administration constraints identified by women-owned businesses, and boost entrepreneurship among youth and women.
The US$15million project is financed from an International Development Association credit, the concessional financing arm of the World Bank, and has a final maturity of 40 years including a grace period of 10 years.
https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/business/651500-world-bank-approves-us15-million-credit-to-support-grenadas-digital-strategy
