GREAT BAY--Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure Patrice Gumbs recently met with Aruba’s Minister of Infrastructure and Telecommunication René Herdé as part of ongoing efforts to modernize the Ministry of VROMI and improve the use of reliable data in infrastructure planning and public service delivery.
Minister Gumbs was joined by VROMI Secretary-General Kenson Plaisimond and Kadaster St. Maarten Director Benjamin Ortega. The meeting served as an introductory exchange following recent Memoranda of Understanding involving VROMI, Kadaster St. Maarten and the Government of Aruba.
In March, Minister Gumbs and Director Ortega signed an MOU aimed at addressing historical gaps between VROMI and Kadaster St. Maarten, improving data management and streamlining public services. Kadaster St. Maarten subsequently signed a similar MOU with the Government of Aruba through Minister Herdé, creating a foundation for deeper regional cooperation in land administration, property registration and infrastructure management.
The meeting focused on strengthening cooperation between St. Maarten and Aruba in areas related to infrastructure, data management and land administration. Ministers Gumbs and Herdé discussed their shared vision for improving infrastructure management through proper land administration, modern property registration systems and the use of geospatial information systems, GIS.
The availability of reliable and integrated data is expected to support better decision-making in key areas such as housing, government land allocation, road maintenance, drainage and sewerage networks. The ministers also discussed opportunities to exchange knowledge, experience and best practices for the benefit of both countries. St. Maarten’s recently completed housing policy and the allocation of government land were also central parts of the discussion.
As part of the cooperation, an exchange between both Kadasters is expected to take place within the coming weeks, including a visit to St. Maarten by Aruba’s newly appointed Chief Mortgage Custodian. A Chief Mortgage Custodian is responsible for ensuring the authenticity and completeness of mortgage loan documents, supporting a trustworthy chain of information that is essential for investor confidence, legal certainty and fraud prevention.
The upcoming visit is expected to be one of several exchanges envisioned under the MOU, with a focus on capacity building, knowledge sharing and strengthening the working relationship between both countries.
The discussion also addressed existing land management systems, current challenges and innovative solutions being explored. VROMI currently manages government land through a simplified dataset. However, the Ministry is now exploring more professional and reliable applications to improve efficiency and service delivery. These include systems that can integrate cadastral records, building permits and domain land information, including TERENO, a software application already used in the region, including Aruba.
“As the country continues to develop, we need to reflect on our foundations and improve our systems to support this development,” Minister Gumbs said. “A move to data sharing and digitalization, in a country with limited physical and financial capacity, is key to ensuring accuracy, long-term efficiency and service to the people of St. Maarten.”
Director Ortega expressed appreciation to both ministers and their support staff for helping advance what he described as a clear strategy of collaboration. He noted that the vision for data sharing and the establishment of a Caribbean Cadaster Association was introduced during the first GKI, Geospatial Knowledge and Infrastructure Summit, held in St. Maarten in late 2025.
“With the support of the two ministers and their respective ministries responsible for infrastructure management, collaboration between departments such as Aruba’s Land Surveying and Real Estate Registration, St. Maarten Domain Affairs and the Mortgage Departments can lead to improved services to the public,” Ortega said. “That vision is well underway to being realized.”
The Ministry of VROMI said the cooperation with Kadaster St. Maarten and Aruba forms part of a broader modernization effort to strengthen institutional capacity, improve the quality of public data and ensure that infrastructure and land-use decisions are supported by accurate, reliable and accessible information.
