PRESIDENT Dr. Irfaan Ali on Monday said that the Single Electronic Identification System, a new digital ID initiative for all citizens, will be utilised to simplify registration and access to the government’s cash grant/voucher programme.

During his address at the commissioning of a new building at the North Ruimveldt Secondary School, the President disclosed that he was the first person to be enrolled in the digital identification system.

“The voucher programme is quite complex; it will now be integrated with our digital ID cards. Incidentally, I believe I was the first person registered for the new ID today,” he said.
The biometric cards will not only offer citizens preferential treatment in certain areas, but will also strengthen border control by monitoring who is entering the country.
The cards will be important for daily transactions, including opening bank accounts, and are a critical part of Guyana’s wider digital transformation agenda.

Already, the government has begun the rollout of several innovative technology initiatives aimed at improving access to basic services, which has seen the country heading into a new era with several digital and artificial intelligence-led platforms aimed at improving access to government services and enhancing security.

These platforms, the “Citizen Portal” and “AskGov”, President Ali had previously said, will ease every single bureaucracy, creating a stable, strong, service-driven and oriented system.
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.

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 licences and ID cards, access health and education records, and 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.

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.