–President Ali says ISO certified, ICAO accepted card will create one of the most technologically advanced systems in Guyana

YET another milestone has been reached to bring the vision of a single electronic identification card for all government and business transactions to reality, as a US$35.4 million contract was signed between Germany-based company, Veridos and the Government of Guyana, on Friday.

The implementation of the single electronic identification card allows for the issuance of work permits and resident identification through a more coordinated approach that will see holders of the registration numbers using that single identification for all transactions, President, Dr. Irfaan Ali said during a simple signing ceremony at State House.

The government embarked on this process in October 2021, and sought the support of the United Arab Emirates.

Since then, two companies submitted prototypes which were assessed by technical teams from Guyana’s National Data Management Authority (NDMA) and the Office of the National Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Advisor.

Veridos was the company that presented the best solution for Guyana. Dr. Ali said the company is partly owned by the Federal Government of Germany, and a company that also prints currency. The collaboration was facilitated by His Royal Highness, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum of the UAE.

In the Head of State’s view, the card will not only enhance the ease of transactions, but it will also be one of the most technologically advanced systems.

He said that the cards will be compliant with 18013-5 of the ISO standard and will be accepted by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) for international travel.

The new electronic identification system, the President explained, would revolutionise how business is done in Guyana and, with its advanced security system, it will eliminate the need for certain documents.

“Through this card, the banking sector now can have fingerprint verification and validation of the person who’s before them. So, the need for proof of address and all the audit documentation is eliminated. The cost of doing business, the effectiveness, the competitiveness, the efficiency will all improve as a result of this technology,” Dr. Ali said.

The President said that the card’s capabilities are also in keeping with his government’s commitment to promote e-governance to improve the productivity of businesses and the delivery of government services through the introduction of e-health, e-education, e-security, e-agriculture, electronic permit, and licence processing among other areas.

He said that the enhancement is necessary because there is an immediate need to implement a robust national identity management system that focuses on the integration of identification services across government agencies, security, ease of use, and acquisition of IDs.

“This ID system would improve access to all citizen-centric Government services and benefit the citizens, private sector and Government alike. This will bring us in line with solutions used by the most developed economies, and position Guyana to be a competitive sphere in a world that is advancing drastically along a technological landscape,” Dr. Ali said.

The system and, by extension, the cards, according to the President, will also allow for the issuance of work permits and resident identification.

“E-ID systems promote the idea of one citizen, one identity by assigning a unique national registration number to each citizen for use by all government agencies,” Dr. Ali said.

The Head of State also noted that, in addition to improving government services, the system will also benefit the private sector.

“So, the cost of doing business, the effectiveness, the competitiveness, the efficiency all improved as a result of this technology,” Dr. Ali reasoned.

INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS
He said too that the system will adhere to the highest level of international standards.

“The system allows the capture of individuals’ biographical and biometric information based on international standards and stores it to provide identity-based services to individuals and other government offices. The ID and resident cards are laser engraved, black and white technology with secure, pre-printed designs and devices for a state-of-the-art polycarbonate document, which includes a chip that can integrate a variety of services to the individual,” the Head of State said.

The President said the system and software will be tailored for Guyana and will include implementation services, training of administrators and operators, local help desk support and 60 months of support and maintenance. The project is expected to have a 12-month implementation period.

Prime Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips; Senior Minister in the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh and Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar were also at the signing ceremony.