POINTE XPRESS: People doing business at the port will have fewer hindrances in getting their goods cleared, as the Ministry of Trade has now opened a satellite office at the Port Authority Terminal building.
Both officials of the ministry and the port authority have lauded the move as a key step in improving the efficiency of the port and helping to make the conducting of business in Antigua and Barbuda much easier, which is a requirement of the World Trade Organization mandates.
Trade Minister, E.P. Chet Greene, said he was proud that under his watch the new trade facilitation office is being opened at the port and expressed his appreciation to the staff of the ministry for the work they did to make the project a reality.
He said it was the first of its kind, not only for Antigua and Barbuda but for the rest of the OECS.
“The idea of Antigua and Barbuda signing on to WTO arrangements is a matter of course, but implementing and effecting, or giving life to these agreements is what the government has to do and that is why opening this office is such a proud moment for us.
So opening this office allows for our traders and importers to have a single window for what they do, or otherwise have to do at multiple locations. When we speak of next-level, for those who never understood the concept, this is next level,” he remarked.He said the ministry is helping to take the country and the economy to the next level, where all citizens and residents want it to go, upwards.
“We are happily offering this service to our traders, importers, and all who will use the service, who will see the difference in terms of the time spent to completing their business at the port,” he suggested.