The Ministry of Justice on Wednesday launched an electronic registration for businesses aimed at upgrading the system of business registration to a level that is digitalized so that everybody can access registration of businesses online.
Speaking during the launch ceremony at the Ministry`s headquarters in Juba, Justice Ruben Madol Arol, Minister for Justice and Constitutional Affairs, said it is their role to ensure that effective and efficient services is delivered to the people in a transparent manner.
“This is a significant and symbolic moment because it is about what we must do as a professional ministry in the course of delivering service to our people professionally,” Justice Madol said.
“We are required to be transparent and be efficient and that is why it is significant that e-governance as a policy of the government of South Sudan,” he added.
For his part, Dr. Gabriel Isaac Awow, Acting Undersecretary in the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, said the launch of the electronic or e-business registration program is one of the government programs in which the cabinet issued a resolution for the implementation of e-government in all government institutions.
“We have been communicated by the minister of information to at least start this program by upgrading the system of business registering to a level that is digitalized so that everybody can access registration of business whether he is not present,” Dr Isaac said.
“We want to inform the business community that from now onwards, you have the opportunity to register your business to renewal your business without coming to the Ministry of Justice and you can do it online and we are now in the process of training even the advocates, the business communities how they can link in to register their business,” he explained.
Dr Isaac revealed that the system will not only be limited to registration of businesses locally but also internationally.
“People are obliged previously when you want to register a branch of an international company and the headquarters of the company is in the USA, you are obliged to come to South Sudan, you will pay a lot of costs to come to South Sudan but now simply the only thing you link to the system, we will know whether you are a South Sudanese or you are not a South Sudanese which company you want to register a national or international company you will be asked to provide information so that the company can be registered as a national or international company so this will also encourage business because they can register online and there is no need for them to come to South Sudan even payment they can do it online,” he reiterated.
Biong Deng Biong, Managing Director for Crawford Capital, the firm that developed the e-business registration system, said the world has changed and digitalization is as important as anything that creates or unifies the world, and therefore, it is the single important thing and South Sudan being a young nation we can benefit if they integrate the world.
“This program given to Crawford, the government intention was to create efficiencies in service provision as well as providing transparency in human interference into the system and you see transforming service delivery by improving doing business,” Deng said.
“Doing business is very important and can be made possible if you allow investors to find it easy to start a business and be able to run what they want to do in this country. We need investors to come to South Sudan,” he added.