Minister without portfolio with responsibility for skills and digital transformation Dr Dana Morris Dixon has revealed that the Government of Jamaica will be leveraging some of the expertise of international payments technology provider Mastercard as both enter a partnership to accelerate digital transformation.

The senator announced during her presentation at Mastercard Day Jamaica, held at AC Hotel Kingston on Wednesday, that at a future date the Government of Jamaica and Mastercard will sign a memorandum of understanding, “which is in its final stage” of being developed.

“What Mastercard is saying to the Government is we understand your digital dream. We’ve done it in many places and we have the expertise…in big data and other places and we can help you think it through,” she continued.

The partnership with Mastercard, she said, is an indication that this Administration is committed to providing solutions to Jamaicans, especially as it accelerates its digital transformation agenda. Therefore, as technology and digital platforms reshapes how people do business, the Government aims to harness the power of innovation and skills development to ensure the Jamaican society “is not only prosperous, but is also inclusive and sustainable”.

Morris Dixon stressed, however, that digital transformation is not just about technology but also how you make the lives of people better, and so the endgame is to reduce long lines, ensure citizens can access government services online and they won’t need to move from one government entity to the next.

Commending payments technology provider for making the first move, the minister shared that, “Mastercard was one of the first entities to have called me to say, ‘How can we help you?’ when I took up this new portfolio which had digital transformation at the centre of it.”

Since embracing the invitation from Mastercard, both the Government and the international corporation have been looking at areas of opportunities for partnership on digital transformation, more specifically digital payments.

“There can be digital transformation of a country or any country without payments being central to that effort…When we are talking about digital transformation, what we’re doing really, we’re trying to envision what Jamaica should look like…imagine going online to access government services,” Morris Dixon stated.

“As we put more government services online and we try to build online marketplaces for our companies to offer services to Jamaicans or persons overseas, we need to have more robust payment platforms,” she continued.

Addressing the issue of pain points facing businesses, the minister noted that entrepreneurs also harbour fears of transaction fees, the complicated nature of transactions, and also security. In this regard, she impressed upon Mastercard and financial services representatives to “deep cultural nuances” that deter businesses from addressing digital payments.

While pointing out that transformation in digital payments is taking place globally, Morris Dixon highlighted Rwanda as an example of a country that has embraced technology in its evolution.

“Nearly 90 per cent of all adults have a cellphone and 61 per cent of those with a cellphone use mobile money services, including those who don’t have a bank account or bank card,” the senator explained, adding that adopting more payment-related services in Jamaica is not an impossibility.

“But we just have to develop the systems with our people in mind,” she said.

At present the Government of Jamaica is completing the development of a new payment gateway that will make it easier for Jamaicans to make payment for government services online. A feature of the platform is the option of using the country’s central bank digital currency Jam-Dex to complete payments.

Morris also explained that with regards to digital transformation, the Government cannot do it alone, and “I think sometimes the Government shouldn’t be the lead in innovation. The Government should provide the enabling environment for all of you to innovate.

“So we want to know how you envision the new Jamaica enabled by [digital] payments so that we can work with you and support you as much as we can to take it forward…So entities like Mastercard or any of you that want to partner with us, we are here,” she concluded.