Caribbean technology forum to convene this week in Trinidad & Tobago

Senior Caribbean government officials will meet in Port of Spain, Trinidad, on Thursday to explore new mechanisms for facilitating comprehensive regional approaches for the planning and execution of information and communications technology (ICT) projects to foster development in the region.

The 2-day first Caribbean ICT Collaboration Forum is being convened by the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU), whose Secretary General Bernadette Lewis noted that “countries have been working in silos” in their pursuit of development, seeking assistance from funding agencies without reference to similar activities being undertaken in other countries.

“This uncoordinated approach results in fragmentation and wasteful duplication of effort, which does not adequately advance progress as evidenced in a 2013 International Monetary Fund (IMF) report which states that Caribbean small states are facing low growth, high debt, significant vulnerabilities, and limited resilience to shocks”.

She said many Caribbean countries registered significant declines in the International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU’s) global ICT Development Index (IDI) rankings for the period 2010 to 2015.

“These archaic approaches are ineffective and it is time for us to adopt new, collaborative methodologies that are appropriate for the 21st century. Given the dire economic prospects for the Caribbean, we have to work differently in order to secure our future.”

Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister of Barbados, Darcy Boyce, and Didacus Jules, Director General of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) will address the forum.

The CTU said that this Caribbean ICT Collaboration Forum will develop collaborative mechanisms to promote comprehensive planning and execution of ICT projects with the potential for regional impact.

“This approach will position the region to overcome the organisational and national resource constraints, and promote the orderly, comprehensive development of Caribbean ICT and ICT-enabled sectors for the advancement of citizens. The Forum will also develop new mechanisms for self-funding ICT projects and sharing expertise,” it added.

The CTU is an inter-governmental organisation, established by Caribbean Community Heads, with a mandate to develop the region’s information and communication technologies sector.

“The CTU has been re-inventing itself to ensure its relevance in a rapidly changing technological world and remains committed to working with multiple stakeholders in order to develop the region’s technical capacity.

“We believe it is time to embrace the practice of collaboration among governments, national and regional institutions, private sector and civil society stakeholders for fostering ICT-enabled development,” said Ian Campbell, a telecommunications consultant at the CTU.

He said the forum signals the CTU’s commitment to working more closely with its members to advance the benefits of ICT while avoiding wasteful duplication of effort and use of resources. -(CMC)