BITT and eGA sign a historic MOU to benefit countries across the Caribbean
In order to achieve greater accessibility and efficiency in the public’s everyday interaction with their government, in countries across the Caribbean, Bitt, the Barbados-based financial technology company, has signed a three-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the e-Governance Academy (eGA) in Estonia on 30 April 2019. eGA are the global e-governance and cybersecurity experts working with the governments of Jamaica, Cayman Islands, Haiti, and Guyana to digitally transform various divisions of their respective public sectors.
Bitt’s Chief Economist, Marla Dukharan, stated that ‘While some Caribbean countries are deriving efficiency by implementing e-government solutions, many people can’t access these services because they are excluded from the traditional financial space – so many people don’t have traditional bank accounts. Bitt‘s mobile payments app could securely and cost-effectively provide the “unbanked” with the financial access to these e-government platforms and provide the “banked” population with a cost-effective alternative to credit cards and other means, to pay on these platforms. Imagine being able to renew your driver’s permit, your passport, or access any other government service, by using an app on your smartphone – no lining up, no time wasted. This is what Bitt could deliver to the people of the Caribbean, by partnering with the eGA.’
Some other features of e-governance include secure digital archives of health and police records, land registry, and electoral processes. The potential benefits have led other Caribbean governments to commence discussions with the eGA to explore possible roll-outs.