The 2025 Inter-American Development Bank President’s Award for Innovation in Service Excellence (IDB P.R.A.I.S.E. Awards) took place on Wednesday, honouring public sector institutions that are transforming healthcare, education, and citizen services through innovative, people-centred solutions.
Now in its 8th year, the Awards were proudly hosted at the President’s House.
Among the standout initiatives, 12 finalists were recognised for their remarkable work, with six winners taking home the prestigious awards.
Under the Internal User Experience category, the North West Regional Health Authority received the President’s Award for the implementation of a comprehensive Health Information System (HIS) to modernise and unify data management across hospitals, health centres, and community services.
The Ministry of Health’s Directorate of Women’s Health received the People’s Choice Awards for its project ‘From Delivery to Data: Building a Better Start for Every Mother and Baby.’ The initiative enhanced perinatal and adolescent health surveillance.
The Ministry of Health received the Social Impact Audience Awards for the National Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention Programme (NADAPP).
Under the Citizen External User Experience category, the Ministry of Education received the President’s Award for the First Year Infant Registration System T&T (FIRSTT), a digital platform simplifying school placement for parents and guardians.
The National Information and Technology Company Limited, iGovTT, received the People’s Choice Awards for ‘Anansi: The National Digital Assistant of Trinidad and Tobago’ — a transformative step toward AI-enabled public service delivery.
The National Library and Information System Authority (NALIS) took the Social Impact Audience Awards for its implementation of the Marrakesh Project, improving access to information for people who are blind, visually impaired, and otherwise print-disabled.
President Christine Kangaloo said the initiatives honoured are reshaping misconceptions that surround the public service.
“We cannot improve service culture without rethinking how we operate, how we engage citizens, and how we empower public officers to solve problems creatively. We cannot achieve better outcomes by relying on outdated systems, rigid processes, or the way things have always been done. Innovation is the thread that connects all of these efforts, and I could not agree more with this direction.”
She added that meaningful transformation within the public sector requires a commitment to continuous learning and an investment in digital literacy, data skills, modern management practices, and agile governance.