The Jamaican government says it expects to sign a memorandum of understating (MOU) early next month with financial institutions to participate in the national pilot of the National Identification System (NIDS).
Minister without Portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister, Floyd Green, says already, all ten members of the Jamaica Bankers Association (JBA) have expressed an intent to sign the MOU to participate in the NIDS pilot.
He said the inclusion of banks will ensure there is a simplified process when opening bank accounts using the national identification system.
“We are ensuring that we make the lives of Jamaicans easier and more hassle-free. We know that with the absence of a holistic database for verification, it is very difficult for persons who are doing business or opening accounts with commercial entities, like the banks,” he said, adding that through NIDS, the government is helping the unbanked to better handle their banking needs.
Green said the system will provide a safe, convenient, and reliable means for persons to prove their identity.
“It will reduce bureaucracy, it will encourage efficiency, but more importantly, it will make the lives of our citizens easier,” he said.
The first NIDS pilot enrolment site is scheduled to be established in Kingston and St. Andrew by August 2022.
It is being implemented by the Office of the Prime Minister and is intended to provide a comprehensive and secure structure to enable the collection and storage of identity information.
The voluntary system will also facilitate the electronic signing of documents and allow persons to securely access a range of government services online.
Green has sought to re-assure Jamaicans that their personal information will be safe under the NIDS, noting that the government is taking every step to comply with international standards and best practices for data security and privacy.
“The government has engaged the Estonians to work with the Project Executing Unit to develop all the security policies and standards for the NIDS. These standards will be adopted and implemented by the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) during the pilot of NIDS,” he said.
He said a Jamaican cybersecurity firm has also been engaged to participate in the “hardening” of the National Identification System, which will work concurrently with international security experts.
Green said the NIDS databases are encrypted by transparent data encryption in fulfilling the requirements outlined in the National Identification and Registration Act (2021).
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