Citizens Connect portal to be launched by year end – President Ali
President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali on Wednesday night announced that Citizens Connect, a new national digital portal designed to strengthen transparency, accountability and citizen engagement, will be launched before the end of the year.
Delivering his national address at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC), President Ali said the platform will enable citizens to bring matters of interest directly to the attention of relevant government authorities, while also facilitating real-time tracking of responses and resolutions.
“Citizens Connect will allow us not only to receive issues, but to track who is dealing with them, how long they take to resolve, and how efficiently government agencies are performing,” President Ali said.
He explained that the system will monitor service delivery by tracking response times, resolution histories, and performance, which will help improve efficiency and build trust in government operations.
The president noted that Citizens Connect forms part of a wider digital governance agenda aimed at creating a more transparent, responsive and efficient public service.
By 2026, the portal will be integrated into a single e-Government platform, providing citizens with easier access to government services nationwide.
“We are introducing a Citizen centric portal – a gateway to modern government services that enables citizens to access all government services online. With just a click of a button, citizens will be able to apply for birth certificates, ID cards, passports, driver’s licences, business registration and other business permits and licences, file tax returns and pay their taxes, access payments from government.”
In addition to Citizens Connect, the head of state said the government is currently testing Gov Connect, a digital appointment management system designed to streamline access to public services.
To further strengthen accountability, President Ali announced the introduction of digital performance dashboards to monitor government activity across all sectors, along with a post-audit mechanism to ensure institutions are delivering services as intended.
He also outlined plans to move towards e-procurement, supported by procurement system reforms, as well as real-time project monitoring and independent post-evaluation to ensure quality, transparency and value for money.
According to Dr Ali, these digital reforms will help create a smarter, more agile bureaucracy, reduce the delays and frustration of citizens, and unlock significant economic value.
“Our objective is not just to enter the digital era, but to help shape it,” President Ali said.
He added that Guyana’s digital transformation strategy will also include a national digital literacy programme, the introduction of coding in every secondary school, free digital certification and innovation boot camps to ensure citizens directly benefit from the country’s digital leap.