• Aiming to add new one every six-eight weeks

• Targeting 20-fold increase to 100,000 users

• Unveils ‘one-stop shop’ for e-government

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

The government is aiming to make 40 public services available online by year-end through adding an additional one to its portal every six-eight weeks, a Cabinet minister revealed yesterday.

Senator Kwasi Thompson, minister of state for finance, in unveiling the launch of the government’s “one-stop shop” portal for accessing critical public services, reaffirmed the government’s pledge to make 200 available within five years via a $30m project funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

Acknowledging that The Bahamas is at “the beginning of a journey” towards its long hoped-for digital transformation via the mygateway.gov.bs platform, Mr Thompson said its “ramp up” will eliminate the costly, time consuming practice of businesses and citizens having to visit multiple government agencies to obtain needed permits and approvals.

Asserting that the portal will operate on the principle “only once”, he explained that once registered and logged in via a National Insurance Board (NIB) number, users will be able to use the same document multiple times to access services because all agencies will be connected by mygateway’s “inter-operability feature”.

Revealing that the government is targeting 100,000 users of the portal, a 20-fold increase on the numbers attracted to the pilot phase, Mr Thompson said the deepening and broadening of the government’s digital drive will also boost The Bahamas’ competitiveness and ease of doing business.

Describing the launch as “a truly transformational moment in our modern history”, he detailed nine other services that will join the existing driver licence renewals and learner’s permits; passport renewals; birth, marriage and death certificates; and police record certificates in being available via the portal.

These include the ability to apply for deeds; conduct deed and document searches; applications for the replacement of driver’s licences; applications for new PO Box numbers and renewals; and applications for new and renewed notary public licences.

“The prime minister believes the government must work for its citizens,” Mr Thompson said. “We have ambitious goals for the digital transformation of our country but believe they are achievable goals....

“Time is important for people. The more we are able to save time for our citizens, the more we make it easier for people to do business and cheaper for people to do business.”

Elise Delancey, the permanent secretary responsible for the Digital Transformation Department, added that an Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) study had revealed Bahamians spent an average 25 hours trying to secure one public service as they visited multiple agencies to obtain the supporting documents and permits required.

“The ease of doing business through this platform is a very real objective for which we are striving,” she said, adding that the benefits will eventually extend beyond Bahamian citizens to other groups such as foreign investors.

“The first set of services were those ones we wanted to put on to get the pilot up and running,” Ms Delancey added. “The second set of services will be directly related to the ease of doing business, so you will see more things for applying for licences to do something, and these services that have to do with the payment of taxes and that sort of thing.

“These will be the services that will come on. We expect to bring up the vehicle registration by June/July. We’re expecting and hoping that will incorporate the insurance certificate that will be issued using blockchain technology. You will be able to apply for your insurance certificate for vehicle registration, and make an application to have your vehicle registered and licensed.

“The next set of services will be more directly related to then ease of doing business objective of the Government.” Mr Thompson, meanwhile, pledged to “ramp up” education to hit the objective of 100,000 users.