Guyana plans digital ID enrollment while waiting for legal framework

Some ministries and government agencies in Guyana have instructed their personnel to register for the national digital ID if enrollment teams come calling.

This comes as Prime Minister Mark Phillips is yet to issue commencement orders to render operable the legal frameworks expected to guide the exercise.

The ministries of education and health, as well as many other government agencies, are said to have told their staff to get ready for the enrollment when teams from the Prime Minister’s office come by, according to Demerara Waves.

Commencement orders must be issued to operationalize the Digital Identity Card and Data Protection Acts which were enacted by President Irfaan Ali in August.

An unnamed official in the Prime Minister’s office is quoted as saying that the commencement orders can be issued by the PM, in retrospect, to “save and validate all previous actions.”

Observers say the orders are important as they will operationalize the Data Protection Act, for instance, to guarantee the safety and security of personal data to be collected for the digital ID project.

Guyana’s digital ID initiative is part of a bigger digital transformation plan which will see the government digitize almost all public services by the close of next year.

Speaking in September at the start of his second presidential term of office, President Ali reiterated the country’s digital transformation ambitions, and announced that he had put in place teams to oversee the public sector digitization process.

German biometrics firm Veridos is the contractor for the digital ID card, and President Ali was among the first to get a copy. Full rollout of the ID is projected to happen during the second quarter of 2026.

As part of the effort to simplify access to public services, the country also plans to introduce a passport application portal which will be operational at the end of this year.

Article Topics

biometric enrollment  |  biometrics  |  data protection  |  Digital Guyana  |  digital ID  |  Guyana  |  legislation