Barbados plans new nationwide campaign to build trust in digital ID initiative

In the next few months, Barbados intends to embark on a countrywide campaign to further explain to citizens the importance and necessity of a digital ID system which it is implementing.

The country’s Minister of Innovation, Industry, Science and Technology, Jonathan Reid, made the announcement recently while speaking at a Global Business Conference, Barbados Today reports.

Reid outlined the importance of the digital ID, but noted that citizens don’t yet appear to have a full understanding of how vital it is, and how it fits into the nation’s broader digital transformation ambitions.

According to the minister, the new digital ID will not only facilitate identity verification, but equally streamline access to a wide range of services, proving more useful that the current ID cards which has outlived its relevance.

The country’s ID cards are said to have been designed more than 40 years ago with the sole purpose of easing voter registration, but global technological changes are pushing the government to upgrade and modernize its legacy identification system.

Barbados introduced Trident ID to replace the old cards, and has been calling on citizens in the past few years to procure them.

As part of the awareness and sensitization campaign, Reid said the communication plan is also aimed not only making Barbadians believe in the digital ID, but also understand the several benefits that come with it. For now, though, the digital ID in Barbados is optional.

The sensitization message will also touch on the country’s digital transformation agenda which the government says aims to make the Island nation one of the regional leaders of digitalization in the Caribbean region where countries are advancing with different digital projects.

Jonathan Reid was appointed early this year to lead Barbados’ digital transformation agenda. Upon taking office, he set for himself what he called “a bold challenge” and also unveiled a five-year plan to boost the country’s technological advancement, according to Barbados Today.

At the start of the year, the Barbadian government said that the new digital ID would be implemented before this year runs out.

Article Topics

Barbados  |  Caribbean  |  digital government  |  digital ID  |  digital ID infrastructure  |  government services