Govt agrees to ‘one stop' service for business start-ups



The government has given the green light to district administrations nationwide to offer a ‘one stop service' hoping to facilitate ease of access to state services by new business investors, according to a senior government official.

The one stop service will allow business operators to access all government-required procedures at one location. For example, a business person can submit a proposal for a business licence to just one office, even though many sectors are involved in the approval process.

Public Administration and Civil Service Authority President, Ms Bounpheng Mounphoxay, said yesterday the government wanted the authority to set up the service in all district administrations after observing its successful operation in a district in Vientiane .

She did not give an exact deadline for the implementation of the service around the country.

Ms Bounpheng announced the government's intention at the annual meeting of the Governance and Public Administration Reform (GPAR) project, held at a Vientiane hotel. The project is funded by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

UNDP Representative, Ms Sonam Yangchen Rana, and a number of government officials attended the meeting, held to review previous activities and set a new work plan for the project in 2009.

Ms Bounpheng said the government also wanted the authority to train district governors around the country in good governance, after a successful training course was held earlier this year, to provide better, more transparent state services.

“I had the opportunity to open and supervise a governance training course and found participants welcomed the outcomes,” she said, adding the authority would conduct three similar training courses next year.

She said since the introduction of the GPAR project, administration had become more transparent due to the number of high ranking officials attending the courses. Members of the public also found it easier to access state administrative services, she said.

The UNDP began funding the GPAR project in 2005, with the one stop service as its main objective. The service was tested in Xaysettha district last year and the project is now helping to set up the service in another 10 state administrative offices.

Ms Bounpheng said people would welcome the one stop service because it meant less travel to different offices. She also said the improved service would be an incentive for more people to start up a business and move up the ladder of prosperity.

The government would benefit from business growth through increased revenues.

Although the government is working to improve bureaucracy and administration, it still faces a number of challenges including a lack of qualified officials and an absence of cooperation on the part of staff who should be providing a service.

By Ekaphone Phouthonesy