Draft Bill for Digital Trade System Moves Forward After Stakeholder Review 

By S.Browne. Updated 4:57 p.m., Monday, August 3, 2026, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4).

The draft legislation that will establish the legal framework for a new digital trade system in St. Vincent and the Grenadines has advanced following a stakeholder validation exercise conducted under the Caribbean Digital Transformation Project (CARDTP).

Representatives from government agencies, trade stakeholders and technical partners participated in the Draft Vincy Single Window for Trade (VSWIFT) Legislative Validation Workshop, where they reviewed the draft VSWIFT Bill and draft VSWIFT Regulations and provided feedback to support their refinement ahead of implementation.

According to information released by CARDTP, the Bill and Regulations will provide the legal and operational framework for VSWIFT, a digital platform being developed to streamline trade-related processes, improve coordination among government agencies and reduce administrative barriers.

CARDTP Project Coordinator Winston George described the workshop as a critical stage in advancing the initiative.

“The outputs from this session are critical to the implementation of the VSWIFT,” George said.

He added that the stakeholder review of the draft Bill and Regulations represents an important step in ensuring that VSWIFT is supported by an appropriate legal foundation while maintaining alignment with existing legislation.

Team Lead at IOS Partners, Tira Greene, said the proposed legislation is intended to complement the country’s existing legal framework rather than replace it.

“The core principle is that the existing laws remain. The Bill gives the digital effect and regulations add common procedures, implementation instruments, and operational delivery,” Greene said.

According to CARDTP, the accompanying regulations are intended to provide practical guidance on how VSWIFT will operate, ensuring that agencies and users have clear processes to support implementation.

Policy Specialist at IOS Partners, Donna Esposito, said the regulations must be practical and effective for all users.

“The regulations really should make VSWIFT usable in practice and clear enough for users, workable for agencies, and auditable for the government,” Esposito said.

CARDTP said the introduction of VSWIFT is expected to improve efficiency and competitiveness by reducing duplication, strengthening coordination and making better use of government resources.

Legal Specialist at IOS Partners, Nicole Garraway-Forsyth, said the digital trade facilitation framework is intended to deliver benefits for both government and users.

“We want to reduce duplication. We want to reduce wastage in terms of resources. And of course, we know that that has an impact both in terms of time and money. So we really want to create that effective and efficient framework for St. Vincent,” Garraway-Forsyth said.

According to CARDTP, feedback received during the validation workshop will inform the continued refinement of the draft VSWIFT Bill and draft VSWIFT Regulations as the project progresses towards implementation.

The Caribbean Digital Transformation Project is funded by the World Bank and implemented by the Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. According to CARDTP, the initiative seeks to increase access to digitally enabled services, strengthen government systems and build the foundations for a secure and inclusive digital economy.

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