eMPRT BUSINESS FACILITATION SERVICES, THE PLATFORM TO EXCELLENT SERVICES TOWARDS THE VISION “BRUNEI – A DIVERSIFIED, COMPETITIVE AND SUSTAINABLE ECONOMY”
As an effort to pay heed to His Majesty The Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam titah on both occasions of the New Year on 31 December 2006 calling for the Public Service to mark the year 2007 as a year to improve the delivery of services to the public in order to fulfil its role as the facilitator of national development, and the 23rd National Day on 23 February 2007 in which His Majesty urged the Public Service to be open minded to overcome existing weaknesses and proactive to achieve excellence, the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources has launched in phases starting on 5th February 2007 eMIPR, the online delivery of Business Facilitation Services of the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources and departments under it.
Entrepreneurs, investors and the public in general could access through a “Single Window” the eMIPR Business Facilitation Services to secure industry and primary resources information and services fast, efficient and business friendly. It also allows feedback to the ministry and departments under it to enable continuous improvement to the relevant services.
Meanwhile for officers and staff of the ministry and departments, it provides a secure integrated source of information, automation of office tasks and electronic management and work processes which is faster, efficient and friendly contributing to improvement in work performance and quality of services of the ministry and departments as a whole.
eMIPR is the platform for excellent services towards the vision “Brunei – A Diversified, Competitive and Sustainable Economy”. This initiative is intended as the main enabler for the achievement of the mission of the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources to accelerate sustainable economic diversification by facilitating, developing and strengthening trade, competitive industries and dynamic entrepreneurs. The transformation to a fast, efficient and business friendly online e-Government system will enable local and foreign investors intending to set up an industry in Brunei Darussalam to secure licenses and other required services either from the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources itself or department under it much faster, efficiently and business friendly through out the stages of start up, growth and expansion of the business which is one of the key factor in attracting foreign investment to a country.
Its role is as facilitator for excellent services. The five pillars driving these efforts are:
1. Centre of Excellence for Industrial and Cooperative Development
In its effort to realize the vision of being the “Centre of excellence for industrial and cooperative development”, the Brunei Industrial Development Authority (BINA) mission is “Creating and enhancing industrial and cooperative development for sustainable SMEs capable of exporting to the international market”.
The agency is the first point of contact for investors who intend to set up projects in the manufacturing and co-operative and related support services sectors in Brunei Darussalam. BINA is the main provider of industrial sites in the country equipped with basic amenities. The industrial sites are strategically located all over the country. The prime sites are the capital city Bandar Seri Begawan with close proximity to the international airport and deep water port and also around the oil and gas production town of Seria.
2. Drive towards Agribusiness
The Department of Agriculture and Agrifood promotes sustainable and competitive Agribusiness, focusing on high quality and safety while ensuring food security for the People of Brunei Darussalam through Agricultural Entrepreneurs, Effective Use of Resources, and Appropriate Technologies.
The domestic agricultural sector is faced with high costs of production, relatively low productivity and inferior product quality. Apart from that, local agricultural entrepreneurs must be prepared to face the challenges of trade liberalization in the ASEAN region and the increasingly open and competitive global market. Local farmers have to be self-reliant, capable of transforming the local agricultural sector into a market-driven agribusiness.
3. Excellence in Tropical Forestry Management
The vision of the Department of Forestry is to achieve excellence in tropical forestry management. In support of this noble vision, the department’s mission is to develop, conserve and manage the forest for social, economic and environmental benefits for the people through sustainable forest management.
The strategic objectives focus on the importance of forest in satisfying the social, economic, as well as conservation needs, namely Forests for Posterity and Prosperity, Forests for Sustainable Production, Forests for Economic Strength, Forests for Public Involvement and Enjoyment, and Forest for International Prestige.
4. Sustainable and Competitive Fisheries Contributing Towards a Diversified Economy
The Department of Fisheries actively promotes the fisheries industry as one of the sectors that can contribute towards economic diversification. It comprises three major areas namely capture, aquaculture and processing. The industry is expected to contribute at least B$200 million annually to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Brunei Darussalam currently still has to import about 50% of its fish requirement to supplement the local production. The fisheries industry however is developing rapidly.
In order to ensure maximum economic gains and at the same time sustainability of the marine resources, the current policy for capture fisheries only allows exploitation up to the "maximum economic yield" (MEY) which 20% below the usually used "maximum sustainable yield" (MSY) level. The fisheries sector is experiencing rapid growth especially in shrimp farming. Current development efforts is focused on using high technology and integrated farming to produce high quality shrimps for export.
5. Brunei - A Kingdom of Unexpected Treasure
Culture. Heritage. Nature. Contemporary Asia. The four pillars of Brunei's tourism products, these elements offer a unique blend of modern refinement, scenic allure, cultural reverence and majestic opulence for the discerning traveller.
Embarking upon a clear strategy with ambitious but feasible goals, the Department of Tourism Development is working to market Brunei’s undiscovered tourism potential in the competitive regional tourism market. Brunei Tourism is carving a face for Brunei in the competitive and dynamic regional tourism market. Brunei Tourism is committed to working closely with both local and overseas industry partners and the media to position Brunei Darussalam as a distinctive, exciting and undiscovered travel destination in Asia.
