FREEPORT, Grand Bahama – Minister of Social Services and Urban Development, the Hon. Frankie A. Campbell, announced that Beta Testing for the use of Digital Wallets in the delivery of social assistance to Bahamians will commence at the end of June (2020).

The Beta Test exercise is expected to expand the ProMIS Web Application to issue digital wallets. The implementation of ProMIS incorporates a MIS System and online social assistance application process and online management.

The announcement was made during Minister Campbell’s Official Visit to Grand Bahama June 18-19 and is part of the digitization and technological reform underway at the Ministry of Social Services and Urban Development and its Departments.

“I am pleased to be able to announce that we will begin Beta Testing our Digital Wallets in News Providence at the end of this month using three vendors,” Minister Campbell said. “We are satisfied that once successful, this will enable us to reduce, if not eradicate those lines that we see on the outside.”

Minister Campbell said members of the Ministry’s newly formed Information Technology and Communications Unit, will travel to Grand Bahama in “early July” in order to conduct training sessions for on-island staff: “to ensure that we are able to have the same kind of Beta Testing here by the end of July.”

The Social Services Minister said team members at the Department of Social Services, Grand Bahama, have partnered with other team members at Urban Renewal, to ensure that persons who may not have access to devices, access to Wi-Fi, are accommodated.

“We are going to make all of our Urban Renewal Centres Wi-Fi hotspots. We are going to train all of our Urban Renewal personnel to ensure that persons can go to the various Centres and are able to get the assistance they will need to go online. We are going to make all of our Centres in New Providence, Grand Bahama, Abaco, and throughout the Family Islands, hotspots.”

Minister Campbell also noted that team members were “rapidly advancing” towards what he said will be “a very rewarding IT platform for both our internal and external customers” through the use of the ProMIS.

“It holds a whole lot of promise for all who will participate in it, in addition to all of the stakeholders,” Minister Campbell added.

Minister of State for Grand Bahama, Senator the Hon. J. Kwasi Thompson, said officials in the Office of the Prime Minister, Grand Bahama, are partnering with counterparts in the Ministry of Social Services and Urban Development as a part of the Government’s overarching digitization programme.

“The DTU (Digital Transformation Unit) and the Department of Transformation and Digitization have been focused on using technology to better serve the public,” Minister Thompson said. “One of the things that COVID-19 has taught us, and really forced us, is to be able to use technology to be able to continue to serve the public and so we have been focused on assisting the Ministry of Social Services and Urban Development, through the establishment of ProMIS.

“They have done an excellent job of putting that it in place so that persons who are in Grand Bahama, Abaco, New Providence - anywhere in The Bahamas - can make application for social services assistance. We want to encourage all Bahamians across The Bahamas to utilize that online platform - socialassistance.bahamas.gov.bs - that will allow for Bahamians to access the service without having to travel to the various Centres, or to wait on long lines.

“This is completely consistent with what the DTU is continuing to do, for example, with respect to the Passport Office and the online application to renew e-Passports which has been recently completed. We also expect to unveil very shortly, the online application for Driver’s License renewal and for Driver’s License registration - to be able to apply and pay for all of those services online (and) is also consistent with the complete thrust of the government in wanting to bring these services closer to the public and make them more readily available through the use of our online platforms,” Minister Thompson added.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, the Hon. K. Peter Turnquest, applauded the anticipated start of the Beta Testing in New Providence and Grand Bahama and the implementation of ProMIS.

“We want to certainly empathize with those citizens who have to wait in those long lines, particularly on the outside, as it is getting into the summer months when we know that it becomes even more uncomfortable,” Mr. Turnquest said. “Hopefully with the technology that has been introduced, those lines will not only be reduced, but eliminated because again nobody comes to social services because they want to, (but because) there is a need to and they ought not to suffer the inconvenience and discomfort of being in circumstances that are less than ideal and respectful of their circumstance. And so I want to congratulate the Minister and the ministry for introducing this technology that we believe is going to have a tremendous impact on the service delivery of this vital, vital government service to our citizens.

“Notwithstanding the technology though, we do understand that this is a people’s business and so the personal touch from the professionals at the Department of Social Services will still be available to continue to go out into the community and touch people, one-on-one, because there are a lot of people who need services - whether it’s counseling services or financial or other assistance - that may not want to come to Social Services because of whatever perceptions there may be or because they are unable to make it,” Mr. Turnquest added.   (BIS Photo/Lisa Davis)