$1.96 billion earmarked to continue NIDS implementation
The Government will be spending approximately $1.96 billion in the upcoming fiscal year to continue implementation of the voluntary National Identification System (NIDS) for Jamaica.
NIDS is expected to provide a secure, reliable, and unique method of authenticating an individual's identity.
The money, which has been set aside in the 2023/24 Estimates of Expenditure, will be used to commence a pilot for enrolment, complete installation of power supply and redundancy for eGov Jamaica Limited's Data Centre, execute the NIDS communication strategy, continue digitisation of the Registrar General's Department's (RGD) civil records, and complete the framework for the RGD's transformation and web portal.
The money will also fund establishment of the Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), complete RGD's E-wallet and digital birth certificate, and conclude modifications at 19 enrolment sites.
Project outcomes, up to December 2022, include implementation of the NIDS solution contract and delivery of equipment to the production centre and one enrolment site; tabling and passage of NIDS Bill in Parliament; delivery of equipment to support eGov Jamaica's infrastructure upgrade; and approval of the revised communication strategy.
In addition to these were assessment and organisational design drafted in relation to the RGD's transformation, bedside registration tested, PKI documents prepared; and deposit-taking institutions onboarded for the piloting of NIDS.
The project is being implemented by the Office of the Prime Minister, with funding from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Government of Jamaica.
It is scheduled to run from February 2018 to February 2024.
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