THE government continues to explore models for the implementation and development of the Electronic Single Window (ESW) system which aims to expedite and simplify information flows between trade participants and the government.

That was the topic of discussion when the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) collaborated with the Government of Guyana to host its first ESW workshop at the Pegasus Hotel on Wednesday.

The United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (UN/CEFACT) defined the ESW as a facility that allows parties involved in trade and transport to lodge standardised information and documents with a single entry point to fulfill all import, export, and transit-related regulatory requirements.
Locally, the Ministry of Business has included the implementation of the ESW as part of its action plan for 2016-2020.

Subject Minister Dominic Gaskin said it is important to adopt and implement the initiative locally, especially when considering the competitiveness in the global market environment.
“The country can face severe consequences if it cannot facilitate trade effectively… so our workshop is geared at identifying and analysing challenges and global practices for the development of the system,” he said.

Gaskin believes that the project can revolutionise the business practices in Guyana, since the country needs to facilitate trade and other business transactions in a way that is efficient and cost-effective.
“We have an important mission… I am not suggesting that we alone have to develop the single window system, or that we have no friends or partners to help us in how we develop this system,” said the minister, pointing out the significant assistance from the South Korea Technical Corporation and the IDB for funding the preparatory work of the project.
He urged stakeholders to grab the opportunity and help to transform the way business is done in Guyana.

The Trinidad and Tobago model of the ESW was discussed during the workshop on Wednesday. Their model was touted as one that Guyana should consider in order to improve the process and shorten the time of importing and exporting.
Finance Minister Winston Jordan, however, pointed out that according to the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Ranking, Trinidad and Tobago was at 126 while Guyana was ranked 142.

“My point is the flaw in some of the arguments — both in the indices that are put together… the Caribbean, as a group, does not openly object to the way the rankings are arrived at, but individual countries do so whenever it is not in their interest,” he said.