Participants at the national consultation on the draft Regional Digital Development Strategy at the Regency Hotel
Prime Minister Samuel Hinds has called for closer collaboration among regional bodies in regard to devising strategies for maximising the benefits of information communication technology (ICT).
He was at the time delivering the feature address at the national consultation on the draft Regional Digital Development Strategy, on Tuesday at the Regency Hotel in Georgetown. The consultation was aimed at making Caricom citizens aware of the draft strategy, and its relevance to advancing the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME) and other regional imperatives, while at the same time garnering feedback which will inform the implementation plans to be presented to heads of government.
According to a Government Information Agency (GINA) bulletin, Hinds said the initiative is a laudable one, facilitating participation in crafting a strategy that will see not only Guyana but the entire region evolving into a society that will enable even further social and economic growth and development.
“The slating of such discussions at this forum reflects a sound understanding and acceptance that we, as policy-makers (of the) public and private sectors (including commercial, manufacturing and service sectors), and all citizens, wittingly or unwittingly, play a role in the fashioning and implementation of the continual technological change, to which we must give thought as we develop and evolve as part of a world that is one,” he said.
“Technological development is increasingly impacting the economic and social development of countries, so much so that many people, as inhabitants of smaller countries with emerging economies, face a constant challenge of keeping abreast with and implementing technological change in order to ensure that economies are not denied critical opportunities for growth.” The prime minister said this type of technology is critical to improving the quality of life, and enhancing productivity and efficiency of both the public and private sectors with its potential to provide a competitive advantage in a wide variety of sectors, such as agriculture, health, finance, disaster preparedness, education, and tourism, through business process re-engineering and other interventions.
He highlighted that, in Guyana, government recognises that, among the major players, the drive to grow and employ new technologies is in many ways consistent with the national developmental objectives.
To this end, its revolutionary One Laptop Per Family (OLPF) project, which will unquestionably be one of the most significant transformational social and economic development programmes ever undertaken in Guyana and the Caribbean, was conceptualised by President Bharrat Jagdeo approximately two years ago. The project is a critical component of the new frontier development path that will drive the new, modernised and more prosperous Guyana through the delivery of an empowering tool (technology) to allow for economic and social development. The prime minister said that, “we are working to have an ICT lab in every school. In this regard, we have already constructed more than 70 ICT facilities in schools.” Moreover, to complement this vast ICT drive, government has facilitated the relevant training.
Approximately 2000 teachers have benefited thus far. Mention was also made of government applications.
The other fibre-optic backbone, which stretches from Georgetown through Linden to Lethem in Region Nine, reaching all the way to the Guyana/Brazil border, is nearing completion.
“I feel proud of the efforts of this PPP/C administration and its sound knowledge that takes into account the country’s demographics and GDP criteria… Guyana is moving in the right direction in harnessing ICT for our collective benefit,” the prime minister said. Caricom provides an excellent forum for the creation and propagation of partnerships.
