The Department of Transformation and Digitization (DTaD) has evolved from four name changes, numerous Controllers, and several notable restructuring since its inception.
In 1968, the Data Processing Unit (DPU) was headed by Controller John Hindmarch. Other notable Controllers were Ednal Smith, Lois Ellis, Merrilyn Hutchinson, Mr. Peter Misiewicz (Acting), Benjamin Rahming (Acting), Gaynell Bullard, June Collie, and Carol Roach (Acting).
During 1999 to 2002, DPU underwent several changes under the direction of the National Coordinator for Information Technology (NCIT), Mr. Charles Knowles. This evolution included expansion from a centralized environment to decentralization, local area networks to government wide area networks where agencies could communicate electronically, and the formation and restructuring of the “D” scale to “IT” Scale.
Between the years 2009 to 2011, DPU changed its name to Information Technology Unit (ITU) recognizing a need for change because of the widespread usage of Information and Communication Technology to make a more efficient public service.
In May 2011, the current administration led by Prime Minister the Rt. Hon Hubert Ingraham invested $10.2 million to advance ICT with the development of Electronic Government (e-Gov’t). The main objective was to use ICT to make The Bahamas the best place to work, live, visit, and do business. Singapore’s Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) along with IBM, and other government officers collaborated to form an e-Government Infrastructure, online e-Services, formation of the Department of Information Technology, and a one-stop e-Government web portal. The vision was “A Connected Bahamas, Maximizing Technology”.
The newly formed Department of Information Technology (DIT), headed by Director June Collie, was to function as a centralized unit focusing on Planning and Governance, Technical and Customer Service, and Business Solution Delivery. With such a structure the department aimed to extract more value from all ICT investments in WoG. The proposed formation of a Government ICT Committee (GIC) was to be responsible for all ICT decision-making and governance. Hence for the first time a Government Chief Information Officer (GCIO), Permanent Secretary Nicole Campbell was appointed in January 2011, and further to her appointment, Agency Chief Information Officers (ACIO) were to be appointed for all government agencies. Quarterly CIO Forum meetings were to be conducted by the GCIO to foster collaboration and cooperation in WoG. In June 2011, the first CIO Forum was conducted.
In July 2011, Director Collie and her team launched the e-Government web portal www.bahamas.gov.bs. This customer-oriented website was designed with three portals: (1) Citizens and Residents Portal (2) Business Portal (3) Non-Resident’s Portal. There were nine e-services and over three hundred online forms. Five transactional services required portal registration, and they were (1) Real Property Tax (2) Traffic Fines (3) Renewal of Drivers’ License (4) Vendor Inquiry (5) Customer Service. The remaining four e-Services not requiring portal registration were (1) Labour Skills Bank (2) Passport Online form (3) Police Character Certificate (4) Civil & Corporate Registry. The five transactional e-services were the first in the region, and with the payment gateway, citizens and customers could pay Real Property Tax, Traffic Fines, and Renewal of Drivers’ License.
In September 2011, DIT Training Unit conducted the first ever IT Cadet Programme where students from 10th to 12th grades participated from public schools in New Providence, Grand Bahama, and Abaco. Participants were tutored in Math and English BGCSE; Microsoft Applications: Word, Excel, Power Point; Computer Science/HTML, HTML5, Cascading Style Sheets, Web Page and Design; Job Readiness Skills, and Academic Portfolio.
In June 2012, DIT’s eighty plus officers relocated from the Churchill Building to the 2nd Floor of the Cecil Wallace Whitfield Centre. At year-end, the Data Centre fully transitioned to the new location on West Bay Street. In 2016, DIT relocated to the third floor of the Cecil Wallace Whitfield Centre.
In September 2017, after six years of usage, the web portal had expanded to host sixty-seven websites offering thirty-one e-Services, portal online revenue totalling over $19 million, and registered portal users over 10,000.
In August 2018, after being under the Ministry of Finance for over fifty years, the department headed by Acting Director Carol Roach was transferred to Office of the Prime Minister (OPM).
In July 2019 during the 2019-2020 budget debate, DIT was officially renamed Department of Transformation and Digitization (DTaD).
The DTaD has offices in Grand Bahama, Abaco, and Eleuthera.