NIDS Project Gets $2.8 Billion
By: , February 19, 2025
Photo: Michael Sloley
Prime Minister, Dr. the Most. Hon. Andrew Holness (second right), removes his newly printed National Identification (ID) Card from a machine located at the National Identification Registration Authority (NIRA) Personalisation Centre, at Central Sorting Office in Kingston, in November last year. Looking on (from left) are Executive Director of the Jamaica Council for Persons with Disabilities (JCPD), Dr. Christine Hendricks; Director General of the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ), Dr. Wayne Henry; Card Machine Operator, Rog-Jae Seymour and Chairman of NIRA, Bishop Conrad Pitkin.The Full Story
The Government has allocated $2.8 billion towards implementation of the ‘National Identification System (NIDS) for Economic Growth’ Project.
Details of the project are outlined in the 2025/26 Estimates of Expenditure, tabled in the House of Representatives recently by Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Hon. Fayval Williams.
The programme aims to provide a secure, reliable, and unique method of authenticating an individual’s identity.
For the upcoming fiscal year, the programme will complete modifications for 19 enrolment sites and wide area network connection for 19 sites; as well as complete the Registrar General’s Department (RGD) web portal, eWallet and digital birth certificate.
The programme will also continue supporting the National Identification and Registration Act (NIRA) in expanding enrolment coverage, execute the NIDS communication strategy, permit authorised staff access to digitised records, mandate and update the National Identification System, and establish Government of Jamaica (GOJ) Public Key Infrastructure.
Up to December 2024, some of the achievements under the programme included enactment of the National Identification and Registration Act; completion of the Card Personalisation Centre; digitised more than 1.4 million records at RGD; established formal partnerships with eGov Jamaica Limited, Jamaica Post and RGD to implement NIDS; completed phase one go-live of the National Identification System; acquired and installed equipment for the National Identification System Data Centre.
Work also commenced at seven locations designated as enrolment sites.
An electronic form of identification, NIDS will provide a comprehensive and secure database for capturing and storing the personal information of citizens and non-nationals ordinarily residing in Jamaica.
Implementation of the National Identification for Economic Growth project is being undertaken by the Office of the Prime Minister through funding from the Government of Jamaica and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
It is slated to end in February 2026.