Handover Ceremony of Kiosk Machines to Grenada
OECS Director General Remarks
Delivered at the Official Handover Ceremony of Kiosk Machines to the Government of Grenada from the EU Funded Regional Integration Through Growth Harmonisation and Technology Programme
March 6, 2025
Why the support for Automation at the Ports of Entry?
Let me begin with the WHY. The Governments of the OECS and the Commission have prioritized the implementation of automation at the ports of entry for several reasons:
- To strengthen border security - to reduce the cases of border security infringements;
- To improve data collection;
- To enhance tourism competitiveness through reduced passenger wait times; and
- To make our ports of entry traveler friendly, a feature noted among the best ports in the world.
Hence, implementing automation at the ports of entry is important as the experience of the traveler starts at the points of entry and all efforts should be taken to make this experience an excellent and memorable one.
What have been our contributions to this initiative?
- Through the support of the European Union, the Regional Integration Through Growth Harmonization and Technology (RIGHT) Project has invested Euro 1.52 million in the procurement of kiosk machines for several OECS Member States, namely Grenada, Montserrat and Saint Lucia. Today, Grenada is receiving six (6) of the twenty (20) kiosk machines procured for the three OECS Member States previously mentioned.
- With these investments, the number of kiosk machines within the OECS increases to 29 and a total of four (4) OECS Member States will be using such technology.
- These investments support the Government of Grenada’s efforts to reposition the Maurice Bishop International Airport as a leading Port of Entry in the OECS. Several upgrades have been done to this airport to date including the expansion of the arrival and departure halls to include three (3) Jet Bridges, hence, expanding the capacity of the airport to receive larger jets and increase the volume of passengers. And we commend the Government of Grenada for this modernization effort.
What are our expectations?
These investments, while they have enhanced the aesthetics at the ports of entry, should also transition these ports into more traveler friendly ports with high impact on border security and reduced passenger time.
These kiosk machines have the most up to date technology to enhance the assessment that needs to be done to determine whether a given traveler is a threat or not. As a result, such technology plays a critical role in protecting the borders and reducing border security threats.
Assessments suggest that the kiosk machines can process a passenger in 30 seconds without the intervention of an immigration officer. Therefore, for a typical Jet Blue flight for instance, with 120 passengers, the entire flight can be processed within 15 minutes, thereby allowing tourists to spend limited time at the Maurice Bishop International Airport and more of their first day on vacation enjoying Pure Grenada.
Looking Ahead
The desire for automated ports is increasing across the world. If we are to be more competitive, our ports need to be more traveler friendly. For instance, Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) is one of the best airports in the world. A contributor to the high-quality experience for travelers at airports such as Changi is the heavy attention to meeting the needs of travelers. Automation has been a major component of this.
At the OECS Commission, we continue to promote among our Member States the adoption of the kinds of technologies that will transition our ports towards globally competitive entities.
The implementation of these technologies should form part of the DNA of our ports, hence, planned improvements to be made to existing ports of entry and investments in new ports should demonstrate this philosophy.
With respect to merchandise trade, the OECS, in collaboration with some of our key regional and international partners, is also helping to enhance capacity building in our Member States to pursue trade facilitation reforms. The overall goal here, as is the case for the entry of people, is to make our ports – seaports and airports, more globally competitive. We anticipate that a higher degree of competitiveness will also contribute to more dynamic and resilient economies in the OECS.
The OECS Commission thanks the EU for this collaboration and looks forward to further collaboration towards the transitioning of our ports in the twenty first century.