Real estate professionals from Abaco, Exuma, Long Island and Nassau logged on and leaned in for an informative presentation about the country’s e-government portal during the first-ever, country-wide webinar to members of the Bahamas Real Estate Association.
Presented by Carol Roach, Deputy Director of Information Technology in the Ministry of Finance, the e-government seminar educated brokers, agents, appraisers and developers on the five transactional features currently on the site: real property tax payments, driver’s licence renewals, vendor inquiries, traffic fine payments and online customer service. Future upgrades to the site include web presence of the Bahamas Postal Service, Cabinet & Disaster Management (NEMA), and the Department of Marine Resources.
“We’re using technology now to find new ways to connect our membership,” said BREA president Franon Wilson. “Members who do not live in Nassau are able to get this information in real time and as a result everyone throughout the country will be in a position to better help their clients and the general public at large. The second home market is big in The Bahamas, so the ability for people to find information and pay their real property taxes from anywhere in the world is revolutionary.”
With more than 5,000 registered users to date, the e-government website provides links to services in every government agency and department, 365 governmental forms along with current news, access to legislation, news from the Family Islands, health information and a secure means for online bill payment.
The Bahamas ranks third in the Caribbean for e-government development, according to a study by the United Nations, and the nation received a top score of 100 percent for “Emerging Presence.”
The ranking was assigned prior to recent upgrades to the portal and the Department of Information is currently meeting with the United Nations to develop a master plan known as a ‘National ICT Strategy’ for The Bahamas to increase productivity, heighten customer satisfaction and enhance revenue streams through the online portal.
BREA’s half-day session provided current information on issues affecting the real estate industry and also included a presentation about anti-money laundering by Stephen Thompson, Compliance Commission Inspector and factors affecting property values in The Bahamas by Paul Worrell, Principal DHP Associates.
By Alexavia Dorsett
