BY JULIE CARRINGTON | OCT 13, 2022
Minister of Industry, Innovation, Science and Technology, Davidson Ishmael, speaking at a press conference on matters pertaining to the Trident ID Card, at Baobab Tower, yesterday. Looking on is Chief Electoral Officer, Angela Taylor. (B. Hinds/BGIS)
Minister of Industry, Innovation, Science and Technology, Davidson Ishmael, has apologised for not keeping up with the planned schedule for delivery of the new Trident ID Card.
He issued the public apology yesterday during a joint-press conference with the Electoral and Boundaries Commission at Baobab Tower, called to address matters pertaining to the Trident ID Card.
Minister Ishmael told the media that to date, 137,561 Barbadians had already been registered and more registrants were added daily. Additionally, Mr. Ishmael said although thousands of Barbadians had already collected their Trident IDs, there had been technical and other issues that prevented the smooth running of the collection process.
He added: “I therefore, sincerely apologise for disappointing my fellow Barbadians who were keen to be among the first to collect their cards. This was due to a number of technical challenges, some of which were not altogether unexpected given the enormous complexity of this undertaking. There are several sub-systems to the Trident ID System, some of which required custom development to ensure a robust identity infrastructure that is compliant with the acknowledged international standards of Identity management.”
The Minister continued: “Each of those sub-systems are required to work seamlessly together for the collection of registration data, validation of identity credentials, card processing and production, quality assurance all the way through to the delivery and pinning of the cards. With that, it must be noted that it is envisioned that, over time, the Trident ID Card will become the cornerstone for all government services and create opportunities for new methods of service delivery.”
He further pointed out that despite the delays government would continue to work assiduously with the vendor and overseas partners to resolve the challenges to satisfaction of the public.
“I want everyone to know and understand that we take identity seriously. This project has taken so long to reach this stage because we want to ensure we do it right. The delays in card delivery, for which I would like to again apologise, are related to the fact that there are no short cuts here. We need to live up to the name we have set for ourselves and deliver a trusted identity,” Mr. Ishmael underlined.
The Minister expressed the hope that over time, the Trident ID Card would become the cornerstone for all government services and create opportunities for new methods of service delivery.
