Minister of Economic Development and Trade Mohamed Saeed has announced that the National Single Window (NSW) Project, designed to provide seamless access to essential services through a single online platform, will be launched in August. This initiative is a collaborative effort between the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade and Tradenet Maldives.
Minister Saeed highlighted that the NSW Project is crucial to President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu’s vision to enhance facilities for local businesses.
The NSW project aims to be a centralised platform where businesses and individuals can electronically submit all import, export, and transit-related documents. It seeks to streamline customs clearance and significantly enhance trade efficiency by reducing the need for multiple interactions and paperwork.
Key outcomes of the project include:
– An electronic platform allowing trade and transport parties to submit standard information and documents through a single entry point to fulfil all import and export-related statutory requirements.
– Enhanced international trade procedures between the private sector and border control agencies.
– Automated document processing through harmonised data sharing across stakeholder IT systems.
– Improved efficiency in cargo clearance and cross-border trade via online access.
Former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih established Tradenet Maldives Corporation Limited on October 13 2020, as a ‘Single Window’ operator offering complete business-related services under a single roof.
Later, during the Maldives Partnership Forum on June 18, 2020, the government and ADB signed an agreement for the USD10 million NSW project, with half of the funding as a grant and the other half as a loan. However, the ADB later halted the USD6.7 million portion of the project due to concerns about the contractor’s eligibility and possible violations of its anti-corruption policy. The ADB, however, had not requested project termination but required a new tendering process to finance it again.
According to the president’s office, the NSW Project aims to achieve a top 40 ranking on the World Bank Ease of Doing Business Index by 2025. It seeks to foster faster, cheaper, and more predictable cross-border trade within the South Asia Sub-regional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) region.
