BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – A partnership between Open Interactive and the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis has seen the launch of the e-Governance Portal, which is an online server programme that allows locals and the international community to access all information about the Federation in one location.
The programme, which was launched yesterday (Feb. 18) at the Ocean Terrace Inn, marks a major milestone in public-private partnership, according to Prime Minister Dr. the Hon. Timothy Harris.
He said this new venture would assist in placing the Federation on a platform to building a strong and enduring foundation to deliver quality service to the people of St. Kitts and Nevis.
Additionally, PM Harris informed that the advancement in ICT and the new portal have place the country in a better position to deal with international financial institutions, since it allows those agencies to better measure democratic and transparent governments.
“International organizations such as the IMF, the United Nations as well as foreign financial bodies look to e-Governance and ICT as a measure of a progressive and truly democratic government. Upon taking office we were ranked 90th out of 197 nations by the UN and we were ranked much lower when it comes to e-Participation. It is also going to impact positively on our ability to do business with the rest of the world.”
The Portal is the brainchild of Open Interactive's owner Stachio Williams and his business partner Adam Anderson, who together drafted a proposal and presented it to the Government.
After gaining the Government’s nod, the www.gov.kn took several months of development before its official launch.
PM Harris commended the public-private partnership, stating that it is one which would assist in cost reduction measures to the Government, noting that since his Administration took office all government data could have only been accessed from a number of different desks and websites.
He however pointed out that the new programme would now have all data centralized online for the international community.
“Significantly, the launch today will certainly help us to enhance the delivery of a variety of services and provide information to the global community with regards to the development of St. Kitts and Nevis.”
Dr. Harris opined that the launch is a historic one for the tri-party Team Unity as it signals a new and transparent Government.
“...A Government that is open, a Government that is transparent, a Government that is committed to give the best quality service to the citizens and residents of St. Kitts and Nevis…”
