OneCivic digital platform presented to City Hall to transform municipal services

With key features such as online payments, a digital wallet, and a direct communication network, the OneCivic Digital City Platform seeks to improve citizens’ access to municipal services, and businesses with opportunities among a host of other critical services.

The platform was developed by Canada-based VertAcc Solutions Inc and local company Ceperia Global Inc.
Ghassan Sagga, the co-founder of OneCivic, on Thursday presented the digital model to the Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC), telling officials that the platform was tailored for Guyana and its people. It offers a menu of services free of charge on a single network.
“So, we though how we can put together all the services that the city needs and even the opportunities that investors want to bring in one place,” he explained.
While the digital platform will offer a host of services such as commercial, transportation, and food among others, the developers believe its “civic suite” feature will particularly support the City Council’s work. Sagga pointed out that much of the world has already gone far ahead with digitalising operations, hinting that the M&CC needed to follow suit.
“Civic suite is pretty much digitalising everything that the city does. You want to succeed in the 21st century, you go digital… It really pays dividends [with] efficiency and investors love it… So, when we digitise the system, it’s easier for the officials [like] you, as Council, to make decisions,” he stated.

In addition to providing the digital platform for the M&CC, the developers have also proposed a OneCivic-sponsored community park restoration in Georgetown as well as a rewards programme that is linked to its digital wallet feature. This latter initiative, Sagga noted, will enhance municipal services, not only allowing residents to conveniently conduct business such as making payments online but also benefiting from utilising the platform.
“We created a rewards system like a loyalty programme. Every time you use the service or you pay your taxes [to the City], you will get reward points. Those reward points can be redeemed to buy food, can be redeemed under courier service. It can be redeemed under any service as long it’s a OneCivic service,” Sagga noted.
Similarly, he noted that the OneCivic rewards programme would also extend to other municipal services such as garbage disposal, incentivising citizens to clean up their surroundings.
“We’re having problems with all the trash. You have a beautiful city, so I think we need to motivate the people to stop throwing trash. You’re sitting on the seawall, don’t leave that bucket of chicken, don’t leave that [bottle of] alcohol – don’t leave any trash, because you have the bins. So, we want to give them an incentive.
“If you do community service on OneCivic, take a photo of it and we will give you the reward [point]… So, we’re encouraging you to go collect trash, take a photo and AI will verify it…and you will get the reward points. So, this is a programme we’re working with the Mayor on to encourage people [who] want to make money, to go clean the city,” Sagga noted.
These rewards earned will be redeemed on the OneCivic platform, which will have local businesses offering a host of services. With the presence of these Guyanese businesses on the platform, another major feature being offered is the e-commerce support.
According to Sagga, the OneCivic digital marketplace will be launched in September and registration is currently open for interested businesses to sign-up. This feature would provide local businesses, especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with access to international market opportunities as well as possible foreign investors.
“You have beautiful products in Guyana, really exotic stuff when you walk around. It needs to be showcased to the world and also locally… Any businesses, it doesn’t matter if you have a business registration or you’re just a small craftsman who is creating products and you want to put it on the website, you can easily open an account and upload images of what you’re selling, put the price, and we’re even talking to international carriers to ship the products directly to international markets. You really have a lot of nice stuff, especially in the food sector. I always talk about your hot sauce…so you have a lot to offer that are premium. It can really get good returns for the tradesmen or tradeswomen,” Sagga emphasised.
While the Government is already investing heavily in using technology to better deliver services to citizens across the country, Sagga contended that the Private Sector also has to play a role in contributing to the advancement of Guyana, especially foreign investors.
Georgetown Mayor Alfred Mentore welcomed the presentation, recognising that technology can be used to improve the operations of the City Council and service delivery to citizens.
In addition to Georgetown, the company is also taking the OneCivic Digital City Platform to other municipalities and communities across Guyana.