Rooted in innovation, inclusion and efficiency, Guyana is now heading into a new era with several digital and artificial intelligent led platforms aimed at improving access to government services and enhancing security.
These platforms, the ‘Citizen Portal’ and ‘ AskGov’, President Dr. Irfaan Ali explained, will ease every single bureaucracy creating a stable, strong, service-driven and oriented system.
“We want Digital Guyana to make life enjoyable. We want Digital Guyana to make life easier, to make systems more efficient, to make systems more reliable, to make doing business easier,” the Head of State said in a Wednesday morning broadcast.

These investments will see Guyana being competitive in building a strong and resilient economy, further strengthening the country’s transparency, efficiency, competitiveness and reliability in services.
“Powered by innovation and anchored by our national e-identification system, this transformation will make Guyana a digital leader in the region and a better place to live, work and raise a family,” President Ali said.
The Citizen Portal will bring together all government services in one simple digital window with just a few clicks, citizens will be able to apply for passports, birth certificates, driver’s licence and ID cards, access health and education records, file taxes and businesses can have the registration done online.

Additionally, citizens will be able to access utility bills, apply for housing and construction permits and much more.
“We already had the Ministry of Housing, electronic planning, development, single window system now extended across every single region; we will now be including government services, including Home Affairs, Health, Education and the GRA. Already, work has commenced on digitising all the services under the Ministry of Home Affairs.”
The portal will also incorporate the electronic identification (eID) system, already implemented as a source of truth for citizens’ identity, enabling every Guyanese to have verified access to these services anytime, from anywhere in Guyana.

ASK GOVERNMENT
Meanwhile, recognizing the need for citizens to have reliable access to accurate information as it relates to government services, the Ask Government/AskGov will be Guyana’s official AI assistant for government services.
With 24 hours availability, the platform will be designed to answer citizens’ questions and help complete tasks like renewing a license, checking the status of several types of applications or requesting documents.
“Powered by generative AI, AskGov can answer all government queries and solve problems without human intervention,” President Ali explained.

“In some countries, individuals can be assisted through AI in filling up their tax records so that it makes it easier, less expensive, and more efficient for them to do in their own homes at their own convenience. This is exactly what we’ll be replicating here in Guyana to bring us to the First World service delivery model,” he added.
The government will also pursue the establishment of its first sovereign AI cloud.
To this end, the President explained: “We have to have sovereignty over our data, our information, and we’ll be investing in our sovereign AI cloud to store our data to improve lives, greater accessibility and reduce the cost of transactions.”

This will see Guyana utilizing cutting edge tools such as big data to identify trends and support informed decisions in health, education and security; generative AI to create reports, curriculum guides and assist with chat support.

“In education, students and teachers will benefit from AI, personalised learning and interactive curriculum access. Even in the most remote areas in health care, AI will enhance diagnosis, track diseases and prior critical cases faster. For everyday services, citizens will get real time intelligence support, whether they’re in Berbice, Bartica, or Black Bush. To support this digital platform, we’re also going to develop an integrated GIS infrastructure mapping.”

He noted too that Digital Guyana will also introduce an integrated geographic information system to map and monitor national infrastructure in real time. This system will be able to create 3D models of all physical infrastructure across the country, such as roads, bridges, kokers and drainage, underground conduits, utility posts, hydrants and more.
“This is essential if you’re building a modern society. So, the days of cutting the roads and cutting the highways in search of pipelines will be long gone, and we can use technology to do this more efficiently, reducing the risk but also creating an enabling environment for comfort of our citizens.”

There will also be AI-driven surveillance for crime detection and response, smart traffic systems for congestion management and road safety, environmental sensors to monitor noise, air quality and illegal dumping, data sharing between law enforcement and agencies for coordinated response, these upgrades will help create cleaner, safer and more livable communities.

“Digital Guyana is our road map to a better future within reach, and within five years, under the PPP/C, Guyana will become a regional leader in digital transformation and a digital nation for everyone. This is key and critical for our development. This is key and critical for our competitiveness,” President Ali said.