NASSAU, Bahamas -- The Minister of Labour and the Public Service the Hon. Pia Glover-Rolle said the government’s primary objective is to take the major issues on directly to ensure that public servants can finally see progress on the many, many issues that have been stagnant for years.

“It is critical that we address these issues, because when people see that you care, when they feel valued, heard and respected, and most importantly, when they get paid, recognized, and elevated for their contributions, that is when you get their best efforts,” the Public Service Minister said during the official launch of 'Cloud Bahamas, the Public Service Reimagined' event held at the British Colonial on Thursday, May 9, 2024.

She said there is a ceiling on what the government can accomplish through effort alone when the system itself is not working. “There is no way we can achieve our ambitious agenda by maintaining the status quo.

“This is why one of the most significant points in our 10-point Plan was the digitalization of documents and HR processes for the entire Public Service. Our document digitization process is well under way with nearly one million files scanned, and the digitalization of Human Resource Management Systems will now be fully realized through this initiative.”

The Public Service Minister explained that the Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP system represents the fulfillment of the government’s plan to integrate a Human Resource Management Information System into the public service.

“This work is critical. As we navigate the local and global challenges ahead of us, digitization efforts must be expedited to ensure that our nation remains globally competitive.”

She noted that digitalization represents one of the major challenges impacting developing nations.

The Minister also noted that the world is facing what is referred to as the triple transition, and these are major changes that will redefine nations and economies.

“There is the climate transition, brought on by climate change. There is the demographic transition, brought on by changing population dynamics, and there is the digital transition, which represents both an enormous challenge and an amazing opportunity.”

The Public Service Minister said, “To put it frankly, our needs are great. We are behind where we should be, but are now catching up through our digital transformation efforts.”

She added, “Fortunately, in this administration, the political will is finally there to make the necessary investments in technology that will catapult this nation forward.”

The Minister said through this initiative, government HR processes will become faster, more transparent, and more secure.

“We are eliminating manual processes for good. We are getting rid of the stacks of papers piled so high that they’re halfway to the roof. We’re doing away with the days of damaged and lost HR files that take far too much time to find and decipher.”

She explained that through this system, public servants will spend less time on filing and administrative tasks and more time doing the work that really matters. Finally, we will have a system that meets the HR needs of a 21st century public service.

The Public Service Minister said, “As the system is rolled out to the Central Government, the University of the Bahamas, the Department of Tourism, and the Public Hospitals Authority, we will ensure that necessary tweaks are made as we prepare for the eventual whole-of-government rollout.”

Acting Prime Minister and Minister of Education the Hon. Glenys Hanna-Martin; Minister of Health and Wellness the Hon. Michael Darville; Minister of Housing and Urban Renewal the Hon. Keith Bell; Minister of State for the Environment the Hon. Zane Lightbourne; Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Wayde Watson and the Financial Secretary, Simon Wilson also attended the event.

The Minister of Labour and the Public Service the Hon. Pia Glover-Rolle was the keynote speaker at the official launch of 'Cloud Bahamas, the Public Service Reimagined' event at the British Colonial on Thursday, May 9, 2024.  This involves the introduction of the Oracle Fusion Cloud  ERP system, which represents the fulfillment of the government’s plan to integrate a Human Resource Management Information System into the public service.  

(BIS Photos/Patrice Johnson)