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09/01/2004

Press Release

Internet Project to help EC Governments Reduce Costs and Improve Efficiency

Four Eastern Caribbean governments will soon be in a position to use the World Wide Web to help streamline a number of their services while attracting new regional and international investment.

The United States Agency for International Development's Caribbean Trade and Competitiveness Development Program (C-TRADECOM), in collaboration with the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), a World Bank affiliate, is presently undertaking a technical project with the governments of Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada and St. Lucia, to provide E-Government Portals/Investment Promotion Web sites in these countries.

Participating agencies in the project are the Antigua and Barbuda Investment Development Board, the Dominica National Development Corporation, the Grenada Industrial Development Corporation, and the St. Lucia National Development Corporation. The Project is expected to result in greater efficiency and a reduction in the cost and time of transacting business.

In each of the countries the project will involve the design of functional and technical aspects of the web sites, the development of web site content, setup and marketing of the sites and the training of staff at the participating agencies to manage and maintain the sites.

According to a C-TRADECOM official, the project was in keeping with a commitment from Organization of Eastern Caribbean States to improve their business environments and their attractiveness as investment locations. The official said an important element in achieving these objectives is the creation of web sites that would facilitate the dissemination of information to businesses and potential investors and permit the downloading and submission of such documents as application and licensing forms.

The official said while all four countries currently have web presences containing basic business and investment information, none of the sites has the depth of content nor the business facilitation features which are expected in modern sites and which are virtually a prerequisite in attracting investors in a very competitive environment.

The project will make use of a software application developed for MIGA. This application, IPAworks which is now in use in over 20 countries, is described as being a highly customizable, prepackaged, database driven Web site that provides a template for industrial development and investment promotion agencies. The application and training in the software were provided at no cost by MIGA.

As the project got off the ground recently staff members from the participating agencies in all four countries attended a two-day training workshop. During that exercise the trainers from MIGA, who have already visited each of the countries to access their capabilities, evaluated the current web sites and trained the participants in the use of the new software.

Over the next six weeks staff members from the participating agencies will refine their product following which the newly developed sites will finally be launched. After the handover and launch of the sites, C-TRADECOM will also provide marketing support to optimize the benefits of the web sites through the development of a web marketing strategy and marketing plan.