[UPDATED] Cuffie wants to improve digital literacy

MARLENE AUGUSTINE and NARISSA FRASER

MAXIE CUFFIE, Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Public Administration, says the Telecommunications Authority ‘s (TATT) achievements are laying the foundation for the Government National Information Communication Technology (NICT) plan for 2018-2022.

At TATT’s interfaith service to mark its 15th anniversary at the Government Campus Plaza, Port of Spain, Cuffie said the NICT plan will improve connectivity to create a world-class ICT infrastructure to facilitate increased availability, connectivity speed and increased affordability of telecommunications and broadcasting services to end users.

“This will be achieved through increased ICT usage in education; more efficient access and use of ICT human resources, and more productive usage of Internet access for citizens in less developed areas.

He said ICT access centres would be set up with Wi-Fi and computers for use by the communities: “Maracas, Penal, Cumana, Guayaguayare and Todd’s Road, to name a few. Digital government – we will leverage digital technology to allow for easier interaction among the Government, citizens and private sector.”

Cuffie said the aim is to ensure the use of ICT to transform the delivery of public goods and services and strengthen institutional capacity.

To date, he said, a range of projects to introduce systems to bring the public sector closer to its customers, citizens, residents, visitors and businesses include the Government Communication Backbone/Network Infrastructure, which will support communication and collaboration through the Government’s data centres.

Also, he said, there would be ttGovChat – an online platform delivered via the ttconnect website “facilitating direct engagement between citizens and government. GovPayTT – simplifying the acceptance of payments across government; and e-Identity – offering citizens access to a wide range of public facilities and high-security technologies.”

Cuffie said the NICT plan is a collaborative effort grounded in the country’s National Development Strategy, Vision 2030, and driven by national, regional and international obligations. He said the NICT plan is the blueprint to a future characterised by empowered people, competitive businesses and transformational government.

Chairman of TATT Gilbert Peterson described the event as a “developmental milestone” for TT as it prepares for a century driven by new technologies, especially information and communications technologies (ICTs).

“As the platform on which the globalised economy rests, ICTs have not only changed the way we communicate. They have changed the way we learn and the way we manufacture and trade, and so they significantly impact how we invest in our economies and how we govern our societies.”

He added that the authority is aiming to bridge the digital divide in TT and will continue to aim to ensure that citizens are able to thrive in an “increasingly post-oil-and-gas world.”

Peterson said, “The push to liberalise our telecommunications and broadcasting sectors was not simply about increasing access and competition with respect to the communications markets. It was about expanding our horizons further into the fast-changing global arena. It was about building a new, modern,socio-economic infrastructure that could support radical diversification in the emerging digital era.”

This story has been adjusted to include additional details. See original post below.

Maxie Cuffie, Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Public Administration, today said the Telecommunications Authority 's (TATT) achievements are laying the foundation for the Government National Information Communication Technology (NICT) plan for 2018-2022.

Speaking at TATT’s interfaith service to mark its 15th anniversary at the Government Campus Plaza, Port of Spain, Cuffie said the NICT plan will improve connectivity to create a world-class ICT infrastructure to facilitate increased availability, improved connectivity speed and increased affordability of telecommunications and broadcasting services to end users.

“This will be achieved through increased ICT usage in education; more efficient access and use of ICT human resources, and more productive usage of Internet access for citizens in less developed areas.

He said ICT access centres would be st up which would provide wifi and computers for use by the communities: "Maracas, Penal, Cumana, Guayaguayare and Todd’s Road, to name a few. Digital government – we will leverage digital technology to allow for easier interaction among the Government, citizens and private sector.”