The Financing Agreement between the Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines and the World Bank was signed on July 29, 2020 in the amount of US$30 million and the project became effective in November 2020.

To increase access to digital services, technologies and skills by governments, businesses, and individuals in the participating Eastern Caribbean countries.

All the islands are unique in nature hence there is a national component but in order to foster integration given the OECS Economic Union the project is coordinated at the regional level through a Regional Project Implementation Unit (RPIU) at the OECS Commission. Regional project components with direct impact at the national level are implemented by the OECS Commission, the ECCB, ECTEL and CARICOM IMPACS.

The OECS Commission now will lend technical support to the islands in the implementation of the project and at the local level the Project Implementation Unit with the help of the OECS Commission will implement the different components locally.

There are eight working groups in total. They are:

• Citizen Authentication- Digital ID
• E-Government Infrastructure and Operations
• Single Window for Land and Property Transactions
• Single Window for Customs Transactions
• E-Payment
• E-Tax
• Cybersecurity
• Data Protection and Privacy

• Response to disease pandemics, man-made and natural disasters and economic shocks.
• Continuity of government operations
• Enabling remote work and learning
• Reducing physical contact, travel and waiting times
• Enhanced economic diversification
• Strengthen the enabling environment for digital financial services
• Development and supply of digitally enabled services and skills to a global marketplace
• Reduced waiting times, allows for more productive time to be spent on an economic activity of your choice.
• Enhance cybersecurity capability against cyber-attacks and fraud - public and private sector
• Enhance resilience and emergency response of critical communications infrastructure.

Digital transformation is not perfect it does have its drawbacks. The drawbacks are:

• It often requires organizational change. Therefore, it is not always easy to implement, as it requires planning, effort and support.
• There is usually resistance to change. Employees and managers often resist changes especially if they are not planned and stakeholders are not involved at the beginning of the change process. 
• It requires a large investment

There are Global, Regional and National imperatives driving digital transformation –

Digital technologies (ICTs – telecommunication networks, devices and applications) are changing global economy affecting almost every sector and aspect of our lives. Our countries and region cannot be left behind.  Digital transformation is therefore critical to recognizing economic opportunities and sustainable livelihoods.

UN SDG 9 – calls for building resilient infrastructure, fostering innovation and universal access to ICTs

Specific National Drivers

National Economic and Social Development Plan calls for economic diversification, human capital development, building climate resilience and improving efficiency of the public sector.

Improving our overall environment for doing business efficiently, a major driver for attracting foreign direct investment.

Promote the delivery of 24/7 anytime/anywhere delivery of government services.

Measuring Digital Transformation is not always easy as the objectives will vary from one organization to another. As a result, different metrics will be required. Nevertheless, metrics such as productivity, number of users and customer satisfaction can be measured against predefined KPIs.