The Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI) in collaboration with Swedish National Board of Trade (NBT) and World Bank Group (WBG) will on Friday, July 6, 2018, launch a service sector website, which will provide an e-government solution to the business community and the public at large.
This service sector website will serve as a gateway for business institutions and the general public to access essential information about day-to-day activities as it relates to Liberian commerce and information sectors as well as ministries and agencies in Liberia.
The program, scheduled to take place at about 3P.M. in the multi-purpose conference room of the MoCI, will bring together several stakeholders from government ministries and agencies, the Liberia Chamber of Commerce, the Liberia Business Association, amongst others.
In September 2015, the WBG conducted a study to publish the latest version of Diagnostic Trade Integration Study (DTIS) for Liberia.
The study contains an in-depth and cross-cutting analysis, with the aim of identifying ways of leveraging trade to achieve sustainable growth and poverty reduction. In the study, the World Bank Group also identified that the main governance limitation relates to the lack of access to clear regulatory guidelines, which reduces transparency and hampers the business environment of Liberia.
In view of the above, the World Bank Group consequently recommended the establishment of a website with all laws and regulations relevant to the service sector website.
This recommendation was picked up in December 2015 and formed part of the Liberian Post Accession Implementation Plan (LPAP) and executive order no. 74, where it was declared that Liberia shall establish a Service Portal for all business regulations and licensing procedures.
Furthermore, in October 2016, the work started on the Service Portal Website with assistance from the NBT and the WBG. The work progressed steadily and, in February 2018, the Beta Version of the website was ready.
This website, MOCI said, will make it easier to do business in Liberia and will be a good way for the Ministry to support the Liberian Economy.
The website will provide an e-governance solution that will increase transparency, which is essential for business. This website will offer the following services:
- One-stop shop that is intended to make it easier for anyone who wants to do business in Liberia.
- Provide the central information one will need for starting, growing and closing down a business, including information on business registration, licensing and paying taxes.
- The website will provide concrete information about government institutions to the general public.
- The website will be updated on a periodic basis by a committee which will be represented by sector ministries and agencies in Liberia. This will increase transparency as it is very important for MSME (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) to grow since they do not have the time or resources to spend on searching for information.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Alvin Worzi
Quelle/Source: Liberian Daily Observer, 05.07.2018
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