Latest update April 19th, 2024 12:59 AM
Jul 23, 2017 APNU Column, Features / Columnists
There is no doubt that countries that fail to embrace Information Communication Technology will not only be left behind, but will be left out of the rapidly evolving phenomena that is sweeping the world.
It is clear that in the coming decades, information and Communication Technologies (ICT or IT) will affect and reshape most of our society. It will radically influence the global economy, and, to an unknown degree, our culture and the way we perceive the world, our relationship to it and our actions.
It is in this regard that the Coalition government has fully embraced ICT. Our vision is to ensure that Guyana can source and acquire the latest technology, assimilate it (adapting while adopting), disseminate and diffuse it all across the country.
Our vision is a Guyana that is prepared for a world transformed by technology. This transformation will promote a paradigm shift in lifestyle and work habits, where the power to harness and mine data will differentiate between winners and losers, the firm assumption being that your closest competitor may not necessarily be the traditional brick and mortar shop across the street but a company or entity located in Asia.
The Government of Guyana, fully aware of the transformational impact of ICT on national development, established the Ministry of Public Telecommunications in 2016.
This new ministry has been working to ensure that all Guyanese, regardless of geography are prepared. Some of our achievements to date include the following:
* The passing of the Telecommunications Liberalization Bill that would remove exclusivity from one company
* Drafting the regulations to open up this sector to investors (these have been circulated and stakeholder/public inputs received)
* Providing schools, community centres, Government ministries and public service departments with fast internet
* Designing/facilitating the creation of applications to ultimately eliminate long lines and long hours at the GRA, the Immigration Department, NIS, post offices and even hospitals
* Refining the passport application app, while a broad programme is set in motion to upgrade and convert inland district post offices to ICT Community Hubs with postal services
* Designing an application for safer pension payments.
To date, there are 55 ICT Community Hubs in operation mainly in the coastal regions including Liverpool, Corentyne; Lima Sands and Good Hope, Essequibo Coast. Community leaders are being trained so they could help others, especially students who need the internet for class assignments. Simultaneously, the computer labs, staff rooms and administrative offices in 102 secondary schools and technical/vocational institutes now have access to free internet as do a few regional administration and education offices, hospitals and some public services in the regions.
Major infrastructure investment will continue so as to spur the development of new knowledge-based sectors. This will act as a catalyst in developing innovative interactive digital services to homes, schools, law-enforcement and businesses.
The e-governance unit of the Ministry of Public Telecommunications along with globally respected experts have embarked on a plan that will prepare all of Guyana (hinterland and coastland), for the exiting transformation from a mostly commodities-driven economy to a fully-fledged and respected player in the digital economy.
In addition to helping Guyana to exploit new economic opportunities and enhancing the vibrancy of the global ICT sector, the establishment of a nationwide broadband network will offer effective open access to retail service providers to bring about a more competitive broadband market which will immediately result in the creation of a wider range of next generation services.
Information Communication Technology holds great promise for all sectors of the economy. Greater use of ICT will help businesses reduce their costs, enhance their productivity and increase their overall efficiency, and thus make a greater contribution to economic growth.
The passage of legislation and the creation of a sound regulatory framework will promote an enabling environment that recognizes that ICTs are now tradable and that the ICT sector (including telecommunications) must be organized along competitive lines to ensure growth and development within the sector and the economy as a whole.
Our government will continue to promote ICT in the workplace so that government can be an active participant and user of ICT to simplify transactions, digitize records, improve accountability, and make interactions between citizens and the government easier and quicker, advance rights like the access to information.
With respect to Public Security, ICT will significantly improve the effectiveness of law-enforcement by utilizing existing fixed and mobile network infrastructure. ICT can significantly improve the response time of emergency and other services with state-of-the art technological solutions. ICT can be used to ensure that every police station across Guyana has access to data to aid in the reporting and response to criminal activity while improving law enforcement collaboration.
Guyana will be marginalized if we do not grasp quickly how to exploit the potential of ICT which is transforming every facet of life. Alternatively, we will enjoy unprecedented benefits (economic growth, improved quality of life, increased freedoms, better educational and entertainment opportunities), if we grasp ICT’s potential to usher in change.
Where is the BETTER MANAGEMENT/RENEGOTIATION OF THE OIL CONTRACTS you promised Jagdeo?
Apr 19, 2024
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