Members of the Board of the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) Named
“This office is there to carry out a function of the State that continues regardless of who is the government or what the political policies are. This is about the establishment, the protection and the utility of citizens’ identity, citizens’ records, and the civil registry within which these are entailed and protected.”
-Prime Minister Holness
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In a historic move, the government of Jamaica has named a nine-member Board for the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA). Prime Minister the Most Hon. Andrew Holness on Friday (March 15) met with the newly appointed nine-member board of the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) at Jamaica House, where he charged the members to ensure the efficient operation of the entity. The historic establishment of the Authority is a precursor to the launch of the National Identification System (NIDS). This marks a significant milestone in Jamaica’s journey towards enhancing citizen services and strengthening identity protection. “This is so critical for Jamaica to be able to fully become a digital society and not a digital society where there is a digital divide where only some people can participate and others can’t,” Prime Minister Holness emphasized. The nine (9) member Board is chaired by the Hon. Bishop Conrad Pitkin, CD, JP Custos Rotulorum for the parish of St. James and includes:
- Ms. Georgia Hamilton- Attorney-at-law
- Reverend Newton Dixon – Representative from the Jamaica Umbrella Group of Churches
- Mr. Kenrick Steele- Information and Communication Technology, and Cybersecurity
- Mr. Alok Jain, CD- Financial Management and Accounting
- Mrs. Maria Thompson Walters- Human Resource Management and Public Administration
- Mrs. Shereika Hemmings Allison, JP- Senior public official in the Ministry with responsibility for the Authority
- Mr. Emil Holgate- Senior public official in the Ministry with responsibility for national security
- Mr. Gordon Christopher Reckord – representative of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica
NIRA will in due course assume administration of the civil registration system in Jamaica, eventually replacing the Registrar General’s Department (RGD), and provide enhanced services. The Prime Minister emphasized that enrolment in the new National ID system is voluntary and that citizens will make the decision to enroll based on the value that the system will add in terms of securing identity and making citizens’ interactions with the Government more convenient. The nine-member committee was also charged by the Prime Minister to ensure that the Authority maintains the highest standards of trust and integrity and works for the benefit and advancement of Jamaicans. “This office is there to carry out a function of the State that continues regardless of who is the government or what the political policies are. This is about the establishment, the protection and the utility of citizens’ identity, citizens’ records, and the civil registry within which these are entailed and protected,” Prime Minister Holness emphasized. “In our system of governance in our country we want people to participate because they see the value in participation and the benefit and then it becomes a duty that is not enforced, but a duty that people see that they should fulfil because it is good for the society, and it is good for themselves. So, our national identification system is built on it being a utility. Meaning that it is a service that has value for people and therefore they will seek to participate, seek to join and they will feel safe in doing so,” explained Prime Minister Holness. Prime Minister Holness said NIRA and NIDS will give greater utility across sectors such as banking and finance, commerce and trade, pensions, health, and travel, among others. The government has also incorporated robust security measures within the physical card and an online verification system to prevent fraud and ensure data integrity.