Most people in Trinidad and Tobago have six different numbers that identify them—their Board of Inland Revenue (BIR) number, National Insurance Scheme (NIS) number, birth certificate number, national ID card number, driver’s permit number, and passport number. While this may seem normal, it is an outdated and inefficient way of managing citizen records.
I posed two questions to my friends in the digital space: Is this system desirable, and how difficult would it be to collapse these numbers into one? The unanimous response was that multiple ID numbers create unnecessary bureaucracy and inefficiency. According to a 2014 World Bank Report, 120 out of 193 countries had already implemented a single unique identifier for each citizen from birth.
If Trinidad and Tobago had such a system, governance, and service delivery would vastly improve. Consider the challenges posed during the COVID-19 pandemic—without a unified citizen database, the government struggled to distribute aid efficiently. A single ID would allow accurate tracking of those in need, ensuring food cards and social benefits go directly to the right people without duplication or fraud.
Even Minister Camille Robinson-Regis admitted that local government bodies and community-based NGOs had to be used to locate those in need. This highlights the lack of a proper data system. A unique identifier would provide transparency, minimizing the ability for people to claim benefits multiple times while ensuring no one is left behind.
Other nations have transitioned to a single ID system over time with minimal disruption. In 2009, India launched the world’s largest biometric ID system, the Aadhaar program, which now covers over a billion citizens. The real challenge for Trinidad and Tobago is not technology—it’s the bureaucratic hurdles and lack of political will.
A unified ID system would require cleaning and consolidating data across government agencies and redesigning outdated processes. But with 1.3 million citizens, this is far less complex than managing McDonald’s 1.7 million employees across 100+ countries.
The Covid-19 pandemic forced many businesses and government agencies to adopt remote work and online services. This should have been a wake-up call to modernize our systems instead of returning to outdated, paper-based methods. The momentum for digital transformation must continue.
Perhaps it’s time to engage local tech experts to design a National ID system through an innovation challenge. With the right leadership and vision, Trinidad and Tobago can take a bold step into the digital future. The only question left is: Will we citizens choose the right leadership team?
Dennise Demming 