An AI-generated digitisation activity. (Photo supplied by NRPB)
PHILIPSBURG--The government of St. Maarten is entering a new digital era, with a transformative activity tasked with converting one million paper documents into digital files by 2026.
The initiative, funded by the St Maarten Trust Fund and implemented by the National Recovery Program Bureau (NRPB), is the first large-scale digitisation of government records.
NRPB said in a press release that it will improve government’s archiving process by creating digital backups that protect important documents from disaster risks like hurricanes. The activity will modernise government record-keeping, ensuring greater resilience and accessibility.
The activity began in April 2024 with the installation of a state-of-the-art digitisation centre in the government building. The centre has the latest technology, including scanners for books, maps and legal documents. Government departments involved in this activity include the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) department, Civil Registry, spatial planning, business licensing and Dienst Informatie Voorziening (DIV – government's central mail room that manages the internal flow of information between ministries and departments.
According to NRPB, these, along with other divisions, are submitting various documents for digitisation, such as building permits, marriage certificates, tax forms and land deeds. These documents will be scanned and “securely stored” on a digital drive provided by Novian Technologies, the company handling the technical aspects of the activity.
Femi Badejo, Interim Head of the government’s ICT Department, highlighted the long-term vision for digitisation of the government of St. Maarten. “This activity is about building a more efficient future by integrating advanced digital systems into government infrastructure. We can significantly improve how information is managed by making processes faster, more secure and less reliant on physical documents.
“Standardising digital archiving across all government departments and potentially mandating it into official policy would mean that future records are created and maintained digitally. This could streamline access to information for citizens and civil servants, enhancing the efficiency of government services and operations that rely on the flow of documents."
Stanley Mourillon is the information business analyst for the Government’s Digital Leadership Team who oversees the archiving activity. He explained that the digitization process requires a highly coordinated effort, “We’re implementing a system where departments submit their physical documents for digitisation. Our team of digitisers handle everything from scanning to quality control, ensuring that all documents meet the required standards before they are uploaded to our secure systems.”
Mourillon explained that a major motivation behind the initiative came after documents were destroyed during Hurricane Irma. “Relying on physical archives alone is no longer sustainable. The digital initiative addresses a crucial need, especially given the vulnerability of records to natural disasters. We have rooms filled with paper archives, so digitising the documents safeguards them. We can generate PDFs, edit them, and leverage OCR technology – software that converts scanned text into editable digital files – making our processes more efficient and accessible.”
Kathy Snijders, Head of the Civil Registry Department in the Ministry of General Affairs, supports the digitisation activity: “This will transform how we handle essential documents like
civil registrar certificates and legal registrations. Our processes will become faster and more secure, reducing the reliance on physical paperwork. The population will benefit from quicker access to records and a more efficient service. The modernisation will also preserve important documents and make our systems more resilient in the face of future challenges.”
The digitisation activity is part of St. Maarten’s Digital Government Transformation Project (DGTP), which aims to make access to public services easier, faster, and more reliable by expanding digital systems across government departments. DGTP is implemented by the National Recovery Program Bureau on behalf of the government of St. Maarten under the Trust Fund, which is financed by the government of the Netherlands and managed by the World Bank.
