The Government of Guyana today, June 19, launched an Electronic Planning and Development Single Window System that is expected to be transformative and significantly improve the ease of doing business in Guyana through a digital process for planning and development applications.

The establishment of the system was initiated by His Excellency, President Mohamed Irfaan Ali and executed by the Ministry of Housing and Water in collaboration with the National Data Management Authority. Through this digital platform, planning and development applications can be submitted from any part of the world, and it is available to both local and foreign investors. This interface will allow for the alignment of different government agencies, access to application updates, and efficiency and transparency in the decision-making process, while eliminating the need for multiple visits to different agencies. It also features the standardisation of documents and reduced processing time of 30 to 45 days.

The platform is touted as one that provides protection of users’ information, while providing a mechanism for the review of development trends to allow for infrastructural development planning. An added benefit is the introduction of free pre-application meetings that will be facilitated at applicants’ convenience. These meetings will provide guidance on the application process and requirements, and will be coordinated by the Central Housing and Planning Authority.

Photo credit: Office of the President