PHILIPSBURG:— The US$12 million Digital Government Transformation Project was approved by the Sint Maarten Recovery, Reconstruction and Resilience Trust Fund. This project aims to enhance the access, efficiency, and resilience of public services for citizens and businesses.
“Given Sint Maarten’s vulnerability to natural disasters, business continuity and systems resilience are critical. Bringing key government services online can make the country more resilient to future disasters, while also making citizens’ and businesses’ daily lives easier,” said Michelle Keane, World Bank Program Manager for the Sint Maarten Trust Fund.
The project will finance digital platforms and associated institutional, regulatory reforms to lay the foundations for digital government. Digital government can help citizens receive faster responses to requests, use online payment options, and digitally access public services such as receiving certificates of good conduct and filing building permits. The business community will also benefit through automating processes, such as economic license acquisition. Access to government services will be available on kiosk machines, an online portal, and mobile applications, which are expected to enhance access, efficiency, and speed of public services. The project will also improve local capacity and assist the Government to recover from disasters, pandemics, and cyber-attacks.
Working on behalf of the Government of Sint Maarten, the National Recovery Program Bureau (NRPB), will coordinate closely with the Ministry of General Affairs to implement this project. The NRPB’s Director Claret Connor said, “With the help of projects such as this one, in the coming years Sint Maarten will have the means to manage its own digital processes seamlessly. This will greatly enhance the services offered to the community and I hope our private sector will adopt similar advancements, allowing the country to step into the digital future.”
The establishment of a Digital Leadership Team by Sint Maarten’s Government further underlines the country’s commitment to digital transformation. Femi Badejo, ICT focal point noted that “This project will establish the basis for Sint Maarten to develop digitally through platforms that the country can build on in a modular way.”
The Sint Maarten Recovery, Reconstruction and Resilience Trust is financed by the Government of the Netherlands, managed by The World Bank, and implemented by Sint Maarten’s National Recovery Program Bureau.
