Understanding and taking advantage of the potential already existent in the country for electronic commerce is key, President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez insisted to other members of the Council of Ministers and representatives from different government agencies present in a February 22 meeting to examine what has been accomplished in this arena.
Once the first stage of giving the government an electronic presence, with all public institutions creating web pages, is behind us, he said, we can move ahead with a second step, in which the population has greater access to interaction with the government.
At the same time, he called for redoubling efforts to develop electronic commerce. Its use, he said, must be extended throughout the country, since it allows procedures at different levels to be conducted more efficiently and can contribute to avoiding corruption, as all transactions are automatically recorded.
Minister of Domestic Commerce Betsy Díaz Velázquez reported that currently under development are eight projects involving the sale of goods and services. Infrastructure to support their adequate functioning is being gradually created, with priority afforded to quality and security of software, as well as ongoing attention to the results of pilot efforts.
She noted that problems of a subjective and objective nature, which have slowed the progress of designed projects, have been identified, and work in conjunction with all parties involved is advancing, to find solutions and improve management of the process.
Even as the first steps are being taken in this direction, and the volume of transactions being completed electronically is still small, the Minister mentioned projects that are functioning in retail stores like that at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street in Havana; the Superfácil center that offers Cuban digital contents and software solutions for small private businesses; and the Correos de Cuba virtual store that allows customers to send money orders online.
She also commented that, in an effort to meet the needs of cooperatives and the self-employed, currently under development are two wholesale stores, one that will offer food items and another featuring industrial products.
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