GEORGETOWN, GUYANA – President Dr Irfaan Ali on Monday proudly announced that he is the first person in Guyana to be registered under the country’s new Single Electronic Identification System, a programme aimed at transforming how citizens access government services.
The president made the announcement while commissioning a new block at the North Ruimveldt Secondary School, where he also revealed that the government’s popular cash grant voucher programme will soon be directly integrated into the digital ID.
“When one looks at the voucher programme, it is not a simple programme. It is going to be integrated into our digital ID card. By the way, I believe I got registered today as the first person to receive the digital ID,” Dr Ali said to applause from the gathering.
The initiative will eventually see every citizen receiving an electronic ID card, which will serve as a single platform for multiple government services. According to the president, this is not just another card to be carried in a wallet, but a tool designed to make public services easier to access, more transparent, and more secure.
He stressed that the system will help ensure social support programmes, such as cash grant vouchers, reach families faster and without unnecessary obstacles. “This is about efficiency, transparency, and giving people what they need in a timely way,” Dr Ali added.
For many parents in attendance, especially those with school-aged children, the announcement carried immediate relevance. One mother at the event said she welcomed the idea because it would remove the “confusion and long lines” that often accompany grant distributions.
The digital ID system is expected to roll out to all Guyanese in the coming months, signaling a major step toward modernizing how the state delivers assistance and services to its citizens.
