What are the objectives of NIDS?

1. To establish a reliable database of Jamaican citizens and other individuals ordinarily resident in Jamaica, with a unique National Identification Number (NIN) as the primary key identifier of a person in the system.
2. To enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of Government entities, management and delivery of Government services to the public; to include programme benefits such as the National Insurance Scheme (NIS), the National Health Fund (NHF), welfare, E-government (with the use of the NIN, creating the linkages between entities and providing the following services: Citizen to Government C2G, Government to Government G2G services, Government to Business G2B services and Government to Citizen  G2c services) among others.
3. To facilitate the growth and development of commerce and economic activity through the provision of a platform of greater security and integrity for public partnerships
4. To enhance the Government’s ability to secure compliance with critical obligations to the state to include tax collection, among others
5. Strengthening of immigration, border control management, public safety and national security

What are the benefits of NIDS?

1. Reduce the need to register for each benefit and/or obligation – e.g. Payment of property taxes or receiving PATH benefits. This will, among other things, simplify the government’s processes and eliminate costs incurred from paper purchases and other administrative tasks.
2. Assist in the fight against crime by providing the relevant authorities access to a secure database which captures civil and biometric data of citizens and residents in Jamaica.
3. Minimize the capacity for an individual to assume multiple identities which has contributed to illegal activities such as money laundering, tax evasion, and credit card fraud.

Will there be new or amended legislation?

New legislation and regulations related to identity management, verification and data sharing will be enacted. The legislation will ensure the protection of personal data. All existing laws related to identity management and storage will be reviewed and amended f deemed necessary. Data Sharing Agreements will be established among government entities.

How will NIDS be financed?

The initial design and development of NIDS is funded by a Technical Co-operation Grant from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), through the Korean Poverty Reduction Fund in the amount of USD670,000 with GOJ counterpart funding of USD120,000.

The Technical Co-operation Agreement which will last for 24 months was signed in September 2011. The Grant will finance the following technical consultancies:

• Develop the Legal Framework
• Design the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Architecture
• Develop the Communication and Behaviour Change Strategy
• Develop the Institutional Framework
• Conduct an Economic Assessment (Cost Benefit Analysis) and Audit

Who are the key facilitating Government entities?

• Fiscal Services Limited
• Registrar General’s Department
• Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency
• Electoral Office of Jamaica
• National Insurance Scheme

Source: opm.gov.jm