Grenada PM advocates for single Caribbean ICT space

GRENADA Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell has expressed support for regional collaboration to address regional ICT issues.

“Digitisation is going to save us millions. It’s not that we do not have resources, the question is how we are spending those resources,” he said.

The Caribbean Telecommunication Union (CTU) in a release said Mitchell participated in a fully immersive simulation of a digitally integrated Caribbean at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Port of Spain from April 29-May 3 as part of the CTU 30th anniversary week of ICT-related activities.

Speaking at the launch of the week-long activities themed “Digital Transformation – Do it!” Mitchell expressed the need for collaboration in order to grasp the possibilities for efficiency and economies of scale offered by the Single ICT Space proposed by the CTU’s Caribbean FutureScape.

“In this technological age, there is absolutely no justification for replicating and duplicating efforts in each our Caribbean islands and expending already scarce resources.

“If there is one single problem confronting the region, it is that instead of working more together on all issues, we are working in silos.”

He added: “We need to collaborate while building an independent culture for pursuing our own development. We must own the process.”

Mitchell said every Caricom head of government needed to attend Caribbean FutureScape.

CTU described Caribbean FutureScape as a compelling, real-time technology immersion experience that demonstrated the possibilities for free movement of people, goods, services and capital, and the rights of establishment in a Single Market and Economy.

“It was designed to create a model region in a controlled environment that allowed citizens to move freely within a borderless space, and experience the speed, efficiency and simplicity of a life in a fully integrated digital Caribbean. Government ministers and other senior officials, as well as students and members of the general public, completed the immersive experience and toured the digital space.”

CTU explained registered participants were issued a digital passport, bearing a unique digital ID, or DID, that enabled them to fully experience life within a more efficient and integrated Caribbean. Participants were able to access services such as business registration locally and in another FutureScape country, accessing hospital medical records online, and purchasing goods and real estate using digital currency.

“All of the services were enabled by ICT. The functions and simulations allowed for a glimpse of the efficiency that a single ICT Space the Caribbean could achieve with appropriate collaboration.”

CTU said Caribbean Futurescape also provided a platform to highlight collaboration at the private sector business level by mobilising of technology partners to build Caribbean FutureScape.

CTU Secretary General Bernadette Lewis in her remarks said: “The CTU has demonstrated that collaboration is possible and necessary to accelerate digital transformation in our society.”