IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

Today we change the concept of service delivery by moving government services from the counter only to the computer screen also.

Today we begin E-Government in The Bahamas.

This is a fundamental change that could have tremendous benefits for our country.

During the 2011/2012 Budget communication, Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham announced the implementation of an Information Technology Cadet Programme which will train 10 students.

Initial components of the e-Government scheme are set to launch in less than two months.

These include: a new Department of Information Technology; a revamped government website; and seven online government services.

Minister of National Security, the Hon. O.A. “Tommy” Turnquest said the Government of The Bahamas’ commitment to e-Government will transform the Public Service into an even more efficient entity by providing the general public with greater access to public information and government services.

He further said the provision of on-line services in areas such as the payment of real property taxes, renewal of driver’s licenses and submission of applications for passports, marriage licenses and death certificates, in addition to the payment of traffic fines, will assist public servants in meeting the needs of citizens, residents, businesses and non-residents, in a more efficient manner.

Chairman of the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employer’s Confederation (BCCEC) Winston Rolle called the launch “encouraging”. He told Guardian Business after the launch at the Sheraton Nassau Beach Resort yesterday that the new system should help ease much of the frustration the private sector experiences doing business with the public sector.

The new service has built-in workflow management features that should identify unresolved queries and other stress-points that threaten timely service delivery, according to the e-government web portal and e-services project manager Carol Roach.

The Ministry of Labour (MOL) officially celebrated World Consumer Rights Day (March 15) with a special ceremony and exhibition in Freeport, Grand Bahama, Friday.

The ceremony was held at the Harold DeGregory Complex and brought to a climax World Consumer Rights Week which was recognized with various activities in New Providence and the major Family Islands. The theme for the week was “Trusted Smart Products”.

The Ministry of Labour (MOL) officially celebrated World Consumer Rights Day (March 15) with a special ceremony and exhibition in Freeport, Grand Bahama on Friday past.

The ceremony was held at the Harold DeGregory Complex and brought to a climax World Consumer Rights Week which was recognized with various activities in New Providence and the major Family Islands. The theme for the week was “Trusted Smart Products”.

Singapore government’s technology subsidiary, IDA International, will act as the ICT advisor to Bahamian government managing the overall e-government programme deployment in the country.

Zhivargo Laing, Minister of State for Finance on Bahamas E-Government Programme Development, said the government will seek to lay the technical foundation and governance structure in the Singapore Model to drive the Bahamas’ e-government agenda.

The Ministry of Tourism, Investments and Aviation along with Aliv launched the pilot phase of their smart city app yesterday after one year of development, making history in the region, according to officials, who said the interface has already been used by 35,000 people.

Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Economic Affairs Wayde Watson said the three-year partnership for the smart city infrastructure with Aliv came at an investment of $100,000.

According to the health minister, this latest advancement in electronic healthcare will allow emergency service personnel and technicians to monitor what occurs inside an ambulance while en route in real time.

The program facilitates Dr. Olander treating and examining patients via video conferencing technology from New Providence while the patients remain in Abaco. The success of this Telemedicine program has exceeded the expectations of officials within the Ministry of Health. Of those 42 patients examined and treated, physicians detected that three patient’s required biopsy. One patient diagnosed with skin cancer is presently being treated. This facility has proven invaluable as it saves time and allows immediate intervention in medical cases, improving patient treatment options. This also means hundreds of thousands of dollars in savings to patients eliminating the need to travel between a Family Island and New Providence even as far as the United States for specialist care.

Thursday, May 9th, 2013 saw the partial launch of E-government services in Eleuthera, with the introduction of the resources to acquire birth, death and marriage certificates directly from Administrative offices in Harbour Island, North Eleuthera (Upper Bogue), Governor’s Harbour and Rock Sound.

On hand to officially launch the introduction of those Registrar General’s services across the Eleutheras, were Minister of Legal Affairs and Attorney General, Allison Maynard-Gibson; Member of Parliament for Central and South Eleuthera and Minister of State for Legal Affairs, Damian Gomez; and Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Legal Affairs, Archie Nairn.

Some Bahamians look around in New Providence through impatient eyes and see mounds and mounds of dirt, debris and open trenches. They see workmen and equipment digging, placing pipes and paving the roads on many of our major thoroughfares. I, however, look not at the present state but the future. I see the infrastructural improvements in fiber optic cabling, underground utilities for water and power. I see what the roadwork will offer, what it will change and what it will impact.

Under the guidance of the government of Singapore - a country renowned for its groundbreaking use of information technology to drive economic success - the Bahamian government hopes to launch the first phase of new online services in less than eight months.

The half-day session will provide current information on issues affecting the real estate industry and will include presentations on updates on the government’s e-portal by Carol Roach, Deputy Director of Information Technology in the Ministry of Finance; anti-money laundering by Stephen Thompson, Compliance Commission Inspector and factors affecting property values in The Bahamas by Paul Worrell, Principal DHP Associates.

This plea also comes as Bahamians are being required to produce a current or valid passport when voter registration drive is announced for the next General Election.

“We are happy to say that we are meeting our objective in New Providence after the summer rush. We are producing our passports now within 14 days,” said Donald Cash, Undersecretary at the Passport Office.

Laing was addressing the official opening ceremony of the 10th General Conference of Ministers of the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) in Nassau.

The Bahamas has launched a project with ITU to set up a national Computer Incident Response Team (CIRT) to help protect the small island country’s critical digital infrastructure and data.

The National Cybersecurity Project, started in January and officially launched in February at national level, aims to help assess current Bahamian capabilities in this rapidly evolving field, as well as develop its National Cybersecurity Strategy.

The agreement was signed on July 25 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Ottawa, Canada.

The engagement was recently approved by the Cabinet to advance the establishment of the national communications and information technology framework.