News

The Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO) Jamaica Business Gateway (JBG) is transforming the process of doing business in the country.

Launched in 2023, the digital platform has streamlined interactions between businesses and government entities, reducing the time and cost for the acquisition of permits, licences and other business-related needs.

Lengthy turnaround times coupled with multiple processes and redundancies, have been significantly reduced, creating a more favourable environment for investment.

The JBG serves as the central point through which all investments are routed and accessed by the key government entities involved in the investment facilitation process.

The platform provides for a personalised preliminary review by JAMPRO, allowing the agency to guide the investment process from beginning through to the end.

This helps to eliminate costly delays and hiccups during implementation by creating awareness and access to information early in the process.

Speaking to JIS News, Project Manager for JBG, Janene Chin, describes the platform as a “business-to-government central application and processing platform”.

This means that businesses can submit applications online rather than relying on traditional, often cumbersome, manual processes.

“It’s moving these processes to be digital,” she notes.

With the online platform, information is readily available 24/7.

Investors no longer have to wait for office hours to begin their application process, significantly enhancing the overall business experience.

One of the standout features of the JBG is its ability to consolidate multiple government interactions into a single dashboard. This allows users to manage all their applications in one place.

“You can have everything done through the platform,” Ms. Chin says, noting that this not only simplifies the process but also results in faster approval times.

The platform facilitates increased information sharing among various government ministries and agencies, leading to more efficient decision-making.

For businesses requiring specific licenses or permits, such as those in tourism or agriculture, the JBG provides tailored application processes.

Ms. Chin notes that there are applications for “productive input relief”, which offers concessionary reprieve for certain sectors. She mentions entities like the Cannabis Licensing Authority (CLA) that are already actively engaged with the platform.

Ms. Chin, in outlining the journey in developing the JBG, tells JIS News that the project involved extensive collaboration with government partners to re-engineer their internal processes for digital implementation.

The goal was to ensure that both businesses and government entities benefit from a more efficient system.

Data protection was a crucial consideration during the platform’s design.

Manager of Corporate Initiatives at JAMPRO, Cheronne Allen, tells JIS News that “no entity is able to see what the other is doing”, maintaining confidentiality and security throughout the application process.

“Even during the application process for entities individually, there are also built-in levels of permission. So, if typically, in a manual system, an application moved to a department, and another department was not to see it, the very same consideration was configured in how we have built it digitally.

“So, we have layers of protection both on the entity level and on a platform level to ensure that no one has the ability to see what’s happening with other applications. Certainly, in terms of JAMPRO managing the initiative, there are also limitations in terms of what JAMPRO can see, because JAMPRO only operates as the manager of the platform,” she explains.

Ms. Allen tells JIS News that the JBG continues to evolve and as more processes are onboarded and functionalities expanded, businesses are encouraged to engage with the platform actively.

“We are now in the implementation phase,” she explains, inviting clients to provide feedback that will help refine their experience.

In addition to its operational benefits, the JBG also fosters community engagement through events like local investment seminars, which sensitise business people about opportunities within Jamaica’s economy.

Ms. Allen notes that such initiatives are crucial for enhancing local investment awareness.

“We want to make sure that whatever investment we’re seeking… would support the expansion of our export profile,” she points out.

The JBG represents a significant step forward in modernising Jamaica’s business landscape.

By leveraging technology to enhance efficiency and transparency, it not only supports local entrepreneurs but also positions Jamaica as an attractive destination for investment in a competitive global market.

The access the JBG, persons can log on to jamaicabusinessgateway.com.

Source: https://jis.gov.jm/features/government-making-doing-business-easier/