BOI LAUNCHES NEW DIGITAL PLATFORM TO STREAMLINE INVESTMENT PROCESS

The Board of Investment (BOI) yesterday launched BOI Gateway, an in-house developed online platform designed to streamline and centralise the investment approval process. The new digital system aims to eliminate paper-based submissions, reduce time and costs, and allow investors to track their applications in real-time. This effort was a collaborative initiative by the BOI's IT Department and other departments.

The BOI Gateway is structured around three main portals: an Investor Portal, an Officer Portal, and a Management Portal. The Investor Portal provides a user-friendly interface for submitting project and site applications, tracking their status, and communicating with officers. It is also equipped with an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based chatbot that offers automated, 24/7 support for common queries. The Officer Portal enables project officers to review applications, manage their workloads, and monitor progress, while the Management Portal provides system insights to aid in informed decision-making.

The system is designed to enhance the "ease of doing business" by creating a more transparent and efficient process. For instance, when an investor selects a specific sector, the platform automatically generates a customized site application form. The system also allows officers to track the current position of an application in the approval process and use a "Track Issues" feature to directly communicate any delays or discrepancies to investors. The BOI stated that the successful in-house development of this system demonstrates that the state sector can add significant value to the nation’s digital transformation efforts, ultimately saving the country millions.