NIDS project gets $2.8 billion

The government will be pumping another $2.8 billion towards the roll-out of  the ‘National Identification System (NIDS) for the upcoming fiscal year.

This money will go towards modifying 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. 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, Fayval Williams.

The NIDS is an electronic form of identification that will be used to provide a comprehensive database for capturing and storing the personal information of citizens and non-nationals residing in Jamaica. It is being implemented by the Office of the Prime Minister, with funding from the Government and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). The initial span of the project was from February 2018 to February 2024, however, it is  now slated to end in February 2026. 

The additional $2.8 billion projected for the upcoming fiscal year will bring total expenditure so far to over $6 billion. The project had an initial estimated cost of $8.8 billion, with about $8.5 billion coming from an IDB loan. 

The NIDS project has received push back from the church community and members of the judiciary. The Supreme Court struck down the NIDS law in 2019 during the initial roll-out, saying it breached several constitutional rights, including a citizen’s right to privacy. A new legislation was pursued, and the government has promised that citizens will be given an option to voluntarily sign up for the NIDS.

However, among those who have expressed concern about the NIDS is lecturer, Pastor Joseph Buckland, who noted that while the legislation states that the NIDS will be voluntary,  it may in practice become compulsory.

“How voluntary is it going to be if the banks make the national identification card a requirement for doing business with them?  How voluntary is it going to be if private sector businesses make the national identification card a requirement for transacting business with them?  How voluntary is it going to be if educational institutions make the national identification card a requirement for registering students?” he asked.

He recommended that the government includes a stipulation that banks, private sector businesses and educational institutions cannot make the NIDS compulsory for transactions.   

“If this is not done, then the Government of Jamaica will be using the banks, private sector businesses and educational institutions to help them get around one of the legal objections that led to the original NIDS legislation being declared “unconstitutional”  namely, that NIDS should not be compulsory,” he stated.