Coming on the heels of the one-year anniversary of the launch of MyGateway, the digital platform used by over 70,000 Bahamians and residents to access and pay for government services online, Prime Minister Philip Davis addressed Cabinet Ministers and other public services leaders at the government’s inaugural Digital Transformation Symposium held at Margaritaville Resort early today.
“Ambitions about e-Governance can no longer be merely an option. In order to meet the expectations of our citizens, all public services need to take full advantage of the transformative potential of technology,” said Prime Minister Davis.
“We need all stakeholders to buy into our digital agenda. But cursory buy-in alone is not sufficient,” charged Davis.
“Just as the software across multiple ministries, departments and agencies will be digitally programmed to communicate with one another, our people need to do the same: to talk to each other, plan, work and troubleshoot with each other, so that we can achieve our common goal.”
Over the next five years, the government’s Digital Transformation Programme aims to streamline government procedures, make 200 services available online, increase the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in the public sector, establish the necessary legal framework for the implementation of digital government and increase the transparency of government activities, strengthening auditing and control mechanisms.
Plans are also underway for the development of the National Cybersecurity Strategy to improve the security of national digital infrastructure as well as the establishment of the national Computer Incident Response Team (CIRT).
The CIRT will be responsible for providing cybersecurity support services to both public and private sectors by identifying, defending, responding to and managing cyber threats.
Additional programme components will focus on a Digital Identification System, Civil Registry and Freedom of Information projects.
The 2022 Digital Transformation Symposium comes just after the one-year anniversary of launch of MyGateway, which provides a centralized way for over 70,000 Bahamians and residents to access and pay for government services online. The platform was built by and is maintained by young Bahamian software developers.
For the first time in history, Bahamians have been able to conveniently access multiple government services in one location with a reduced need to provide multiple pieces of information each time a service is requested.
This monumental progress within The Bahamas’ digital transformation journey is creating an environment where citizens can thrive and find opportunities in a growing, sustainable economy.
