To obtain a birth certificate extract, a citizen must apply in person at the Civil Status Division. After a week, the citizen will collect his birth certificate extract against payment of a Rs 25 stamp. With MoKloud, the citizen authenticates via his MauPass account to avoid impersonation. On MoKloud, the citizen is able to download the digital version of their birth certificate extract instantly. Moreover, the birth certificate extract carries a QR code and is digitally signed by the Civil Status Division confirming the veracity of the document. The citizen does not have to purchase a stamp. The extract may be presented to the relevant authority or institution for verification via scanning of the QR code. We can imagine the amount of paper usage and manual processing time that can be avoided or largely minimised by leveraging the MoKloud service, taking into account all the official and statutory documents that can be issued through this platform, which is in line with Green ICT practices.

The Public Service Commission allows online application for a job post. However an applicant has to have their documents physically verified at the time of interview thus defeating the purpose of the online system. MoKloud supports sharing of official documents in a digitally secure way prior to verification by the Public Service Commission, hence allowing for a faster processing of applications and recruitment.

Another example is the proposed digital driving licence which planned to be ported on MoKloud in December 2022. Currently, the paper-based licence is prone to forgery and a fake licence may go through unnoticed. With the digital driving licence, verification may be conducted in real-time and any tampering may be identified instantly. As the MoKloud service gains traction, business opportunities will surely come up as spin-offs. Private or parastatal businesses may be charged a fee to cover operational costs as well as generate revenue.

• MoKloud has been developed by the Central Information Systems Division.
• MoKloud platform was inspired from the DigiLocker of India.
• The MoKloud developers produced a document designing module supported by a QR code generator (which is also digitally signed) and the digital signature applicator.
• Major stakeholders are government and parastatal agencies issuing official documents to citizens.

• Major stakeholders are government and parastatal agencies. With amendments to regulations, MoKloud will be extended to private institutions like insurance companies and academia.
• Serving agencies are showing greater interest in using MoKloud to issue documents in digital format to their customers as this facility relieves their staff of the tasks of attending to requests at counters. With MoKloud, requests are processed much faster resulting in a net gain in service delivery efficiency.

More and more agencies are keen to port official documents of citizens on MoKloud. Given this interest, applications from agencies to join the MoKloud platform are now being handled at the level of the High Level Management Committee. To date, 5 types of documents have been ported on MoKloud, namely, birth and marriage certificate extracts, digital vaccination passes, certificates of electricity supply and e-payslips. This figure is expected to grow considerably as more agencies become aware of the potential of the MoKloud platform.

The statistical figures for the download of the above documents as at the end of September 2022 are:

• Birth Certificates: 5393
• Marriage Certificates: 3444
• E-payslips: 991
• Covid Vaccination Passes: 507421
• Central Electricity Board Proofs of Address: 721

The redesign of the architecture of MoKloud is currently under consideration for the faster deployment of digital documents to cater for the expected increase in the number of requests from agencies.

As of now, in certain agencies citizens are required to queue up for about 15 minutes to make their requests and to come back and queue up again for collecting their documents, notwithstanding the amount of time or days required for the processing of their requests. With MoKloud, the requests are processed instantly.

Initially the Ministry of Information Technology, Communication and Innovation (MITCI) experienced difficulties in identifying an experienced software developer from the CISD. Subsequently, the MoKloud team was constituted. Given the current load of work on the staff, it is now envisaged to hire a managed service for the operationalization of the MoKloud platform.

Every successful system is built on a functional and resilient communication infrastructure. A digital identity system is desirable to ensure no impersonation is involved in government transactions. Documents that are digitally signed warrants that they are issued from a genuine source and have not been tampered with. The necessary regulatory framework has to be put in place to enforce the operationalization and acceptability of documents in digital format. Adequate expert resources have to be catered to ensure support and sustainability of services.

Today MoKloud offers free online birth and marriage certificates that can be accessed at any time and from any location. The information provided by citizens is electronically shared with the appropriate authorities or institutions. It saves time and money for Ministries and Departments by eliminating administrative costs through paperless transactions. This innovative approach will pave the way for the future storage of many government documents such as Vehicle Registration Cards, Certificates of Incorporation, Business Registration Cards, academic certificates and many more that can be used by ministries, organizations, and agencies of all sizes. The MoKloud platform may be replicated in the region with a view to extending the benefits derived from it to countries in the region.

It is necessary to have proper governance, like the one that exists in the High Level Management Team, for the operationalisation of MoKloud to examine requests to port documents on MoKloud.