Last updated: Sep. 19, 2022
Status: Under Implementation

Digital Government Transformation Project

Approval date
March 18, 2021
Effectiveness Date
January 20, 2022
First Disbursement Date
April 21, 2022
Closing date
May 30, 2025
Burn rate
6.36%

Overview:

The Digital Government Transformation Project (US $12 million) aims to enhance government service delivery and access to public services for citizens and businesses as well as strengthen the resiliency of government digital infrastructure. 

Financial Summary:

Commitment

Disbursement

Ratio

The main activities of the Digital Government Transformation Project are:

  • Strengthening the legal, regulatory and institutional environment:

     

    the groundwork for the introduction of the platforms and digital services - i.e. preparing the legal, regulatory and institutional framework to implement digital transformation and enhancing human capacity within the Government.  

  • Building resilient, citizen-centered digital platforms:

     

    technical implementation of citizen-oriented services to improve service delivery and reducing the vulnerability of selected services to cyberattacks and natural and disasters.  

  • Enhancing public service delivery:

     

    transformation and scale-up of the existing Public Service Centers in Philipsburg and Simpson Bay to include additional user-centric services offered through multiple channels.  

The project is implementation ready now with a Digital Leadership Team established and staffed and a Project Oversight Committee chaired by the Prime Minister in place. 

Project Component Target Results
Certificate of Good Conduct transactions processed digitally 100% of all applications Not started
Economic license applications processed within a six week period 65% of all applications 16%
Registries connected with the interoperability platform 5  
Times per year that selected public services are available to public 99 15
     

While significant advances have been made in developing a one-stop-shop model for public services in Sint Maarten, digitization of public service delivery remains an important priority. During the 2010 transition, the Public Service Center Department was established by a National Ordinance with the objective of creating a one-stop-shop for Government services. Ten years on, the envisioned reforms need to be finalized and the full potential of the Public Service Centers has not yet been realized. Four main challenges hinder progress. First, there is an absence of laws, regulations, and policies to support a transition to digital services with respect to the foundational elements of digital identity, payments, privacy, and security. Second, Sint Maarten currently relies on siloed and vulnerable Government applications and systems, and needs foundational digital platforms associated with integrated service delivery. Third, the civil service continues to rely on manual and lengthy business processes that require in-person transactions. Fourth, on the demand side, citizens and businesses face challenges in accessing quality internet at reasonable prices.