GEORGETOWN, Guyana – President Irfaan Ali Monday gave an eight-month deadline to fully digitise the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) as he outlined a number of initiatives to expedite the country’s National Digitalisation Programme.
President Irfaan Ali speaking at the launch of the Public Service Upskilling Platform on MondaySpeaking at the launch of the Public Service Upskilling Platform, President Ali gave the Senior Minister in the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh, eight months to fully digitise the NIS.
He also gave the Minister of Public Service, Government Efficiency, and Implementation, Zulfikar Ally, five months to complete the digitisation of all public service records.
Ally later said that this initiative will empower the Guyanese workforce to become more innovative and efficient.
“We cannot implement complex national projects without world-class project managers. We cannot be responsive to citizens without first-rate customer service,” he told the gathering, which included the intended beneficiaries. This programme is your new toolkit. It is our investment in you,” he added.
The government said the conversion of these records, or their digitisation, is the process of converting analogue information into a digital form and is a necessary precursor to digitalisation, which refers to using digital technologies to improve or transform processes and activities.
President Ali said the goal for the government is to move swiftly to modernise the public sector and eliminate inefficiencies that frustrate citizens and hinder national progress.
“I’ve given the Minister of Finance a direction…The Minister of Public Service knows that his entire human resource information system, the entire public service, within five months, all the records, your files, your personal files, everything, must be completely digitised within five months,” President Ali told the launch.
He said that once digitised, the new integrated system will allow ministries to share information seamlessly, cross-reference skills across departments, and enhance the efficiency of public service delivery.
He told the event that digitalisation is more than just a convenience; it is central to Guyana’s transformation into a modern, high-performing economy.
In his address, President Ali also addressed the digital tools vital to the country’s agricultural sector, noting that within four months, farmers will have access to new technologies and platforms to enhance productivity.
“Within four months, the farmers must be able to use the tool we’ve been investing in to access education in the field, to access real-time information in the field, to access weather in the fields, to access extension support in the field, and to access technology in the field.”
Ali said that digital transformation across sectors, including agriculture, tourism, manufacturing, and infrastructure, is designed to create a fully integrated digital economy, positioning Guyana as a regional leader in innovation and efficiency, adding that several homegrown apps will be launched in the coming weeks.
He said these apps were built to support public service delivery and national development priorities.
“In the next three to four weeks, we will see a series of apps being launched that we are building ourselves, that we are trusting our young people, our brain power, our technical capability to drive this future,” President Ali said.
In his wide ranging address, President Ali said that true leadership, at its core, is about identifying, cultivating, and empowering talent, saying “the worst of leaders are those who are afraid of talent.
“If you’re afraid of talent, you’re not a leader. You’re an occupier of space,” he said, adding that true leadership means empowering others to grow and develop, and warned that leaders who fear being surpassed not only limit themselves, but also stifle the progress of their teams
“You must not be afraid of it because talent will prepare you to deal with any room that you go into.”
The Public Service Upskilling Platform provides access to 100 online courses from Coursera, a globally recognised online learning platform and the government said thousands of public servants, including those from the hinterland, will now have access to relevant online courses from leading universities worldwide, equipping them with the essential skills to drive Guyana’s transformation.
From data analysis to beginner Spanish, the US-based Coursera platform offers 100 online courses, which public servants can take advantage of and learn at their own pace for free.
“The world is moving faster than ever before, so we must ask ourselves: are we ready to keep up?” Ali questioned, noting that the public service must be retooled to deliver in the digital age.
He said the new public service must be a “problem-solving machine,” driving results, productivity, and progress through innovation and efficiency.
Ali said that this can be achieved through the newly launched programme with Coursera, as top-performing nations such as the United States, Singapore, and Finland use the same platform to strengthen their public sector workforces.
“You’re not just learning for a local job; you’re preparing for global opportunities. You’re ensuring that Guyana’s public service is not only efficient and responsive locally but also globally benchmarked—and that is important.”
Coursera’s Vice President, Zac Rule, who spoke at the launch, said that upskilling the human resource pool is necessary to the ambitious goal of a fully digitalised Guyana.
“We are very honoured to be a part of that. We look forward to continuing our multi-year partnership with Guyana,” he added.
