Public Service, Government Efficiency and Implementation Minister Zulfikar Ally has emphasised that the ultimate goal of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration is to ensure public services are easily accessible to citizens from the comfort of their homes.
He made the commitment during the commissioning of a Government Service Centre in Bartica, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni).
Similar centres have been established in other regions across the country, with the aim of ensuring that every region has a facility where residents can conveniently access a wide range of Government services, including those provided by the General Registrar’s Office, Passport Office, Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), and other public agencies.
According to Minister Ally, “we’re not going to stop here.”
These service centres, he emphasised, aren’t “the end…because we want you to be able to from the comfort of your home, [to] not even have to visit the service centre, but from the comfort of your home, to have access to all of your documents, have access to your e-id, your passport, your birth certificate, your drivers’ licence, all of that, and that is what we’re working on right now.
“So, see this as a transition phase of service delivery, of bringing government services to the comfort that you deserve,” he noted.
The Guyana Government is currently embarking on an aggressive digitisation drive, with a number of public services now available online.
Already, the Government has launched GovConnect, an application allowing citizens to schedule, manage and track visits to Ministries and public agencies online. It has also launched Citizen Connect, an app where citizens can directly report complaints and transparently monitor real-time resolution tracking. The Government has also launched Skills Connect: an application specifically focused on linking local job seekers with employment opportunities. The Government also launched AskGov, which is Guyana’s official 24/7 AI-powered virtual assistant designed to help citizens navigate and access public services
The GRA has introduced its Padna app which allows taxpayers to manage their obligations directly from a smartphone – from filing tax returns to accessing key documents such as their Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) certificate, driver’s licence, and vehicle registration.
A number of immigration services are also now available online such as passport application and renewal, as well as arrival and departure forms.
The Government has also introduced the Single Window System, which acts as a “one-stop-shop” that merges multiple regulatory agencies into a single online portal for construction permits. Instead of physically travelling to various agencies to get a building or development plan approved, individuals submit everything once through this platform.
Health services are also undergoing a digital shift, with efforts underway to digitise records and introduce online appointment booking systems at public health facilities.
The Public Service Ministry will launch an online portal that brings the majority of these digital services together in one convenient location, Minister Ally said.
“More and more, you will see Government services being modernised, being digitised and you will have everything on your phone…you will have one app now that will have all of the other apps embedded in it. So, you don’t need to have GovConnect app and the CitizenConnect app and all of those things. You will have one app for Government that will have all your information, that you can request any service in Government and you can find what you need. You can even renew your passport, request your birth certificate, all of that on that portal…that is where we’re going to bring it for you,” he emphasised.
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