IfG.CC - The Potsdam eGovernment Competence Center

The Fresh Creek Community Clinic is the site of the tele-medicine facility. Fresh Creek follows Marsh Harbour, Abaco, which was the first Family Island location in which the programme is offered. Health officials are busily preparing to launch the programme in Deadman’s Cay, Long Island next month as part of the ongoing construction of the telemedicine network by the Government of The Bahamas, through the Ministry of Health, the Public Hospitals Authority and the Department of Public Health.

Acknowledging that the online delivery of government services was "the way of the future" and the Bahamas should have reached this point long before, Winston Rolle told Tribune Business the move could still "have a very dynamic effect on the economy".

The expected efficiency improvements, he added, could help attract "the new entrepreneurs" to the Bahamas, stimulating growth in jobs, companies and economic activity by removing previous frustrations in obtaining necessary permits.

The e-government program aims to make it possible for customers to pay for services such as licences, fees and fines; make contact with government to, for instance, lodge complaints or give compliments and access information such as requirements for obtaining licences and certificates and information about events etcetera, all online.

Zhivargo Laing told Tribune Business that the ease of paying due taxes and fees online might encourage some businesses and entrepreneurs, who had previously baulked at putting payments in the mail or going to the relevant agencies, to now do so.

"I think the benefits are significant, actually," Mr Laing said of the e-government platform, which launched yesterday, "because you're talking of benefits to be had for the general public from the ease of doing some transactions over the computer, as opposed to having to go to some counter, go to some office and get in your car and drive through traffic somewhere to do so. They can do the same from their computer wherever they are in the country or the world."

Minister of National Security, O.A. Turnquest said the commitment to e-Government would transform Bahama’s Public Service into an even more efficient entity by providing the general public with greater access to public information and Government services.

The provision of on-line services in areas such as the payment of real property taxes, renewal of driver’s licences and submission of applications for passports, marriage licences and death certificates, in addition to the payment of traffic fines, would assist Public Servants in meeting the needs of citizens, residents, businesses and non-residents, in a more efficient manner.

Critical will be the extent to which the Registrar General’s Department (RGD), particularly the companies registry, is able to optimize performance through the new e-portal, according to Chairman of the Bahamas Financial Services Board (BFSB) Paul Winder.

He told Guardian Business once the registry is fully incorporated into the new e-government service, it will bring a cutting-edge advantage to the jurisdiction, so long as the website’s promises are delivered on.

Zsa Zsa Laing was the first Grand Bahamian to come into the department to collect her renewed license after applying for it online last week.

Laing said she was impressed with the e-Government initiative and particularly pleased that she could now apply for her driver's license without having to travel to the Road Traffic Department.

The Government’s digitisation chief yesterday said it will evenly split the “new money” generated through its three-year partnership with Aliv to transform downtown Nassau into a “smart city”.

Wayde Watson, the Ministry of Economic Affairs parliamentary secretary, who has responsibility for the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), told Tribune Business that the initiative will generate revenue streams and income that the Government has never received before.

The Government of The Bahamas has increased the use of e-platforms, particularly since the worldwide pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus.

In a statement issued by Minister of State for Grand Bahama, with oversight of Electronic Communication, Senator the Hon. J. Kwasi Thompson on Tuesday, May 19, said, “This Government has tremendously increased the use of E-Government platforms and Initiatives since coming to office and particularly in response to COVID-19. We have made a firm commitment to embarking upon the latest technology taking into account our country’s unique situation.”

Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham, who was the keynote speaker at the launch at the Sheraton Nassau Beach Resort, touted the new government website as a fundamental change for the Bahamas that will have tremendous benefits.

"Our value proposition must be competitive globally in order to spur economic growth locally. By making our information available and accessible, by modernising processes, and having rules and regulations that are fair and apply to all, our customers can improve their productivity," said the Hon. Michael Halkitis, State Minister for Finance, while speaking to the Rotary Club at Sunrise, March 14.

The digital transformation of the Bahamas Cabinet and all government services will soon become a reality through a $30-million Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) loan that is expected to be executed within the next two to three weeks by the Government of the Bahamas, according to a cabinet minister.

State Minister for Grand Bahama Senator Kwasi Thompson on Friday said that government will be moving toward a paperless Cabinet system by implementing a programme called e-Cabinet.

This was confirmed by India’s High Commissioner to The Bahamas and Jamaica, Mohinder S. Grover.

He was in Nassau last weekend for the signing of a Tax Information Exchange Agreement (TIEA) between The Bahamas and India.

Mr. Grover was accompanied by State Bank of India officials Vikas Chandra, chief executive officer, and Vijay Panda, manager.

Through www.bahamas.gov.bs, general information about the government and the Bahamas can be obtained and online payments can be made for things such as a driver’s licence and real property tax.

“I was extremely excited about the implementation of e-government – the opportunity to provide services to the public by way of the Internet and make it easier, more efficient and more effective to serve the public,” Mr Laing said.

Presently Bahamians can fill out their U.S. Visa applications online and then set up an "appointment" for an interview to get that Visa application approved.

However, when one considers the "red tape" which one has to go through to get any kind of information out of (or even into) the government system, it makes one wonder just how effective “e-government" can be in The Bahamas.

The Bahamas must develop a National Cyber-crime Strategy otherwise its plans to become a ‘technology hub’ will be “gravely affected”, the Attorney General’s Office has warned.

Rashif Duncombe, a consultant in the Government’s ‘law chambers’, said the Bahamas needed to strengthen numerous areas - including intellectual property laws and the Data Protection Commissioner’s Office - and develop a National Digital ICT Strategy to achieve a key Government objective.

Prime Minister Christie said he is a "firm believer" in the critical importance of Public Private Partnerships (“PPP”) and that the launch of the Registrar General's Department E-Services facility has been a perfect example of the effectiveness of such partnerships.

"We are opening new vistas for domestic and international business, and we are making it easy for you to do business online in The Bahamas," Prime Minister Christie said at the event held at the Registrar General's Department on the corner of Shirley and Charlotte Streets, January 5, 2016.

The Prime Minister yesterday lamented the "inefficient" and "antiquated" demands for businesses to obtain written confirmations and certifcations from different government agencies.

While addressing the Bahamas Business Outlook conference, Dr Hubert Minnis said: "Presently, many government agencies require written certifications from applicants during the application process for various licenses and permits.

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.