JSWIFT Crucial Part of Modernisation Programme – Dr. Dunn

State Minister in the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce (MIIC), Dr. the Hon. Norman Dunn, says the Jamaica Single Window for Trade (JSWIFT) is a crucial aspect of the Government’s public-sector transformation and modernisation programme.

JSWIFT is a one-stop-shop facility designed to provide fully automated services to enable traders and their representatives to transact all attendant business engagements online through a single portal.

A major objective of the Public Sector Modernisation Programme is to support the development and delivery of integrated public services that meet the needs of customers.

Speaking at a Jamaica Information Service (JIS) Think Tank on Friday, October 30, Dr. Dunn said the Government has been pursuing several initiatives in the last few years to improve the business and trade environment in Jamaica.

“We take JSWIFT very seriously, as we believe that it is the beginning of that massive transformation of our border regulatory agencies. This will lead eventually to improved efficiencies on our part and, therefore, positively influencing businesses that operate locally,” he said.

An improvement following the implementation of JSWIFT is a faster turnaround time of 24 hours for the approval of certificates and permit applications to the Trade Board Limited’s online platform, instead of the previous two to three days waiting time.

According to Dr Dunn, the COVID-19 pandemic has provided the opportunity for the Government to work even more steadfastly in the implementation of online integration systems.

“The emergence of COVID has almost thrown a curveball at us, in general, and one of the important things is to ensure that we have an online portal that enables persons to access the services of Government without physical interactions,” he said.

JSWIFT is being implemented, hosted and operated by the Jamaica Customs Agency (JCA) on behalf of the Government.

Source: JIS