DCFS Online Registration Now Operational

The Department of Co-operatives and Friendly Societies (DCFS) has officially launched its online registration and monitoring system as part of efforts to improve the ease of doing business.

Addressing the official launch at The Jamaica Pegasus on Thursday (April 14), Minister of State in the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Dr. the Hon. Norman Dunn, said the project supports Government’s strategic priority for better facilitation of businesses.

He informed that the project aims to reduce the delays faced by groups in completing registration as provident, cooperative or friendly societies; improve data management and reporting within the department; and strengthen the department’s capacity to facilitate the development of social organisations.

“All of this supports the ministry’s commitment to facilitate businesses and protect our stakeholders and their interests,” he noted.

Dr. Dunn said the move by the DCFS towards online registration will make interactions between the department and the several groups that require registration less burdensome.

“The ease of registration that will come as a result of this online system frees up the technical team significantly, so that they can refocus their energies on engaging with the social organisations that are registered with the DCFS,” he said.

Dr. Dunn said as the department works to facilitate and encourage community development through the oversight it provides to various organisations, its role in unlocking critical growth in the Jamaican economy is worthy of celebration.

“The Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce is always pleased to see our agencies develop, engineer and power initiatives such as this as they work relentlessly to reduce bureaucracy and associated inefficiencies which greatly hinder service quality delivery to our country’s citizens. This digitisation process will bring greater efficiency to the way that groups and individuals interface with the DCFS,” he said.

He acknowledged the assistance of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in facilitating the capacity-building grant that has revolutionised the way the DCFS will do business with its more than 500 provident societies, its 158 cooperative societies and the 442 societies registered under the Friendly Societies Act.

Registrar, Department of Co-operatives and Friendly Societies, Errol Gallimore, said the online system is consistent with international best practices and thanked the USAID for its assistance in modernising and improving the service delivery of the department.

Country Representative (Ag) USAID Jamaica, Alex Gainer, said the organisation is pleased to support the improvement of the DCFS’ operations.

“We look forward to other opportunities to strengthen the enabling environment for increased civil society participation in youth crime and violence prevention,” he said. For further information, persons may visit https://dcfs.gov.jm/

The DCFS has a mandate to execute developmental, regulatory and supervisory functions for the entities that are registered under the various Acts administered by the agency.

The need for online registration was recognised due to inefficiencies in the manual registration process, as it required greater input from employees, which resulted in significantly less time available to provide governmental services to the registered societies.