The Ministry of Finance is insisting that the US$35.4 million contract that the Guyana Government signed with German-based company, Veridos Identity Solutions, last week for the implementation of the national electronic Identification (ID) Card was done in accordance with local laws.
As part of the Single Electronic Identification System in Guyana, this new electronic card will be issued to Guyanese residents for the conduct of a wide array of transactions as well as to monitor the issuance of work permits in the country.
However, the Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) has since criticised the project, calling for it to be paused and submitted to the Parliament – claiming the absence of public consultation and sole-sourcing of the project.
However, in response on Wednesday, the Finance Ministry said the GHRA’s statements have no basis.
“Contrary to the false assertion made by the GHRA, the contract in question was awarded in full conformity with the Laws of Guyana including the procurement laws,” the ministry contended.
Back in October 2021, Guyana had reached out the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Government for assistance in introducing the Electronic Identification Card. With the intervention of His Highness, Sheikh Juma bin Dalmook Al Maktoum, two international companies were shortlisted.
Veridos, a global leading provider of integrated identity solutions, was subsequently selected after making a presentation to the Guyana Government. It was explained that the evaluators found that the partially-owned German Government company presented the best solution for Guyana.
The Finance Ministry noted that Veridos “…is a highly regarded supplier of items of this nature internationally, and its shareholding comprises two major entities operating in the secure printing industry worldwide, Giesecke & Devrient and Bundesdruckerei GmbH, both of whom have unchallengeable longstanding reputations globally.”
Furthermore, the ministry went onto call out the GHRA over its hypocrisy for staying silent during 2015 to 2020 under the previous Coalition Administration when there were blatant violation of financial laws and complete lack of accountability including the single-sourced procurement of the services of the controversial Sussex Street Drug Bond at an obviously inflated price and in a building that is highly unsuitable for the intended purposes as well as the single-sourced procurement of vehicle scales from an entity with no track record whatsoever in this line of business.
“The Government of Guyana maintains that the contract with Veridos was lawfully executed, with an internationally reputable group, and is intended to deliver a product that will transform citizen experience in Guyana with the introduction of the integrated electronic national identification card. Once introduced, the card will enable citizens to interact with all government agencies and many private sector entities using this single unique and secure identifier, and will vastly improve the efficiency of service delivery to citizens,” the Finance Ministry posited.
At last Friday’s virtual contract signing, President Dr Irfaan Ali said the roll out of this resident electronic ID card, which has a 12-month implementation period, will promote the ease of doing business and personal transaction in Guyana.
“E-ID systems promote the idea of ‘One Citizen, One Identity’ by assigning a unique national registration number to each citizen for use by all government agencies [and the] private sector. For example, in the banking sector now, we know the difficulties there [but] through this card, the banking sector now can have fingerprint verification and validation of the person who’s before them. So, the need for proof of address and all the other documentation is eliminated. So, the cost of doing business, the effectiveness, the competitiveness, the efficiency will all improved as a result of this technology,” he stated.
According to the Head of State, the card’s capabilities are also in keeping with his Government’s commitment to promote e-Governance in order to improve the productivity of businesses and the delivery of Government services through the introduction of eHealth, eEducation, eSecurity, eAgriculture, electronic permit, and license processing among other areas.
He further noted that the enhancement is necessary because there is an immediate need to implement a robust national identity management system that focuses on the integration of identification services across government agencies, security, ease of use, and acquisition of IDs.
Moreover, with the new requirements in Guyana for work permits, managing work permits and managing the immigration process, President Ali pointed out that this new resident ID Card will allow local authorities do conduct their monitoring of immigrants electronically.
The Head of State further outlined other internationally-recognised features of the new resident card, which is not only ISO-certified but will also be accepted by the International Civil Aviation Organizaiton (ICAO) for international travel.
“As a result of that compliance, it brings with it technical and international standards and requirements that are met into operability, secure and interoperable identity credential, privacy and cross border protection. As you know, these are important issues the global community is faced with and we are advancing our work in our technological transformation, to position Guyana to be among those countries that are ready for the new digital age,” the president explained.
He also indicated that as a result of being ISO compliant, one of the key features of this new E-ID Card is the level of privacy that will make it is second to none, globally. Further, the Electronic ID System and accompanying software will be tailored for Guyana’s use and will include implementation services, training of administrators and operators, local help desk support and 60 months of support and maintenance – thus adhering to the highest level of international standards.
