GOVERNMENT is continually strengthening its One Laptop Per Family (OLPF) Programme and yesterday it got a significant boost with the grant of 28,145 laptops valued at US$8 million from the Government of China.

Speaking at the handing over ceremony at the Office of the President (OP) on Shiv Chanderpaul Drive, Georgetown, Minister of Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh highlighted that the government has placed information and communications technology (ICT) at the very centre of its efforts to transform Guyana into a more modern country.
According to him, the government views ICT as having the potential to achieve this transformation through many facets, including the means through which government can more effectively and efficiently deliver services to citizens.
In addition, he noted that ICT is a driver of economic growth in its own right, a driver of improved competitiveness in the private sector, and a very important source of personal empowerment of people.
“We’ve seen this manifest itself in a number of respects. We have, for example, in government made considerable progress in introducing information and communications technology in our operations, in the production and delivery of public sector services,” he stated.
The minister also observed that the use of the internet has become increasingly important as a tool for communication and delivery of services to citizens. He pointed out that at present almost every government ministry has a website, which places an unprecedented volume of information on the operations of government in the public domain.
As it relates to economic growth itself, Dr Singh noted that the sector has created thousands of jobs in Guyana to date. And almost 3,000 young Guyanese are currently employed in the sector, particularly the business processors outsourcing sector, and the subsector more popularly known as call centres.
Future benefits
According to the minister, so significant are the anticipated future benefits of ICT that the government has committed itself to addressing the domestic digital divide; that is, the distinction between those who have access to ICT and those who do not.
He stressed that the government’s position is that the vast benefits of ICT must be available to all citizens of Guyana, irrespective of where they live, their educational backgrounds or their age.
“This is the position of our government, that access to information and communications technology should be universal in our country, that is what we are working toward,” he emphasized.
Dr. Singh further related that the government is pursuing this objective through a number of efforts, such as creating a legislative environment that would promote competition in the telecommunications sector and ultimately make access to ICT more affordable.
Additionally, he advised that the government is also implementing various infrastructural strategies in order to make this possible. According to him, these include the construction of high speed fibre optic cables such as the cable being built from Lethem to Georgetown and the coastal fibre optic backbone which is being built from Crabwood Creek to Charity.
However, the minister also related that beside the legislative and infrastructural measures, government is also seeking other avenues to ensure access to ICT.  For instance, he mentioned that ICT is also being implemented in the education system, noting that government is working to ensure that every secondary school in Guyana has an ICT laboratory.
In the meantime, government   recognised that the most critical enabler is physical access to the technology and consequently the OLPF programme was launched.
He disclosed that thus far, 97,726 applications have been received from families throughout Guyana. Of those, 26,832 have received laptops and 14,118 have been trained under the training component of the OLPF programme.
“Under the OLPF the issue of access and overcoming the impediment of lack of access is well underway to being addressed,” he said.
Dr. Singh emphasized that the contribution from the government and people of China will contribute tremendously in advancing the achievement of these objectives.
Alluding to the long standing relations between Guyana and China, he noted that a number of projects have been implemented in Guyana with the benefit of Chinese support. Among these, he cited the coastal fibre optic backbone from Crabwood Creek to Charity and the modernization project of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport.
Meanwhile, Chinese Ambassador Zhang Limin, speaking via an interpreter, said that the Chinese Government will give full support to any project that will benefit the economic and social development of Guyana.
He said that the main purpose of China’s economic aid is to promote development which will benefit the Guyanese people in fields like medical service and education.
He added that 10 Chinese medical teams have been dispatched to Guyana to work here, in addition to three batches of youth volunteers to work in schools and other organisations.
Moreover, the ambassador pointed out that more and more Chinese companies are coming to Guyana to seek investment and/or business opportunities.
Noting that these are both state-owned and private-owned businesses, he stressed that Chinese companies are willing to work with their counterparts in Guyana to help to promote economic and social development.