OVER $1.8 billion will be spent on the development of information and communications technology (ICT) this year, with major emphasis on facilities that would encourage job creation and ease the way people conduct business with Government agencies.Speaking during the 2016 Budget Debate, Minister Cathy Hughes said that fundamental to the Government’s ICT strategy is providing Internet access and connectivity across all regions of the country, designing a national broadband policy, and implementing a supporting strategy.
She said that Government hopes to iron out all the issues in order to ensure that the telecommunications sector is liberalised this year.
$80 million have been budgeted to acquire office productivity, e-mail and collaboration software for the Public Sector; and $105 million have been allocated for the creation of an off-site data centre and secure electronic document storage solutions for Ministries and Government agencies. This combined system will serve to enhance Government business processes, improve service delivery in terms of timeliness, and heighten document security.
$326 million have been earmarked to design and implement interconnections among Government Ministries, agencies, State buildings and educational facilities; and to pilot interventions to support access to ICTs in hinterland, poor and remote communities.
This amount will fund the setting up of ICT hubs in communities which will be identified on the following criteria: level of poverty, remoteness, and social vulnerability. This sum will also fund the provision of Internet access to hubs set up in the indigenous communities.
The Government will also set up Public Internet Access Points (PIAPS) at Government Ministries and agencies with intention to increase citizens’ access to information and e-services.
Government will also support a larger project that will focus on providing Internet access and computer devices to hinterland and indigenous communities. The expanded project aims to create a platform for hinterland distance learning, so as to build capacity in hinterland communities; expand and improve public service delivery through ICT to these communities; bridge the developmental gap between coastline and hinterland communities, and create opportunities for hinterland communities to explore and access markets for their products.
Government will invest $60 million to set up ICT Business Incubators in all regions, and plans to expend an initial $25 million towards establishment of a Centre of Excellence in Information Technology (CEIT) which will provide training for public sector ICT professionals.
Moreover, in supporting widespread access to information and e-Government services, Government will spend a further $100 Million to repair and upgrade the Georgetown–Linden Fibre Optic Cable. After spending approximately $1.2 billion, this project was abandoned by the previous administration. The Government will invest $140 million to consolidate, monitor, maintain, and extend the existing e-Government Fibre Optic and LTE Network around Georgetown and along the coast from Moleson Creek to Charity.
In addition, Government will, in 2016, accelerate its drive to fulfill its expressed commitment to supply educators and institutions of learning with computers, laptops and tablets, along with access to the Internet.
Minister Hughes said it was regrettable that, over the years in Guyana, the development of ICT as a contributing productive sector has been slow. “The high cost of supporting infrastructure, absence of enabling legislation, and limited skillsets have been a significant contributor to this state of affairs,” she noted.
But she underscored the need to drive a robust sector, as the appropriate utilization of ICT can improve the lives of all Guyanese, “…and must therefore be the fundamental cross-cutting component in the overall national vision to build an information society and, by extension, attain developed country status in the coming years,” she said.
“We will need to grow and nurture the industry with policy and legislative frameworks. Traditional ways of incorporating technology — such as importing machinery and equipment or direct foreign investment — are not enough to confront the challenges of inclusive economic development,” she declared.
As a result, she said, the mandate of her Ministry this year is the effective implementation and utilization of ICT to modernise Guyana, to the benefit of its citizens. To achieve this, she said, ICT should be used to improve the delivery of Government services.
“We must be able to process our various applications online quickly, and get immediate responses to our queries via electronic and live helpdesks.
“Visits to Government offices to collect a form and having to return to drop it off must become a thing of the past,” she said.
In practical terms, she said, this means that children attending the Bina Hill Institute in Annai, or those in Aranaputa (in Region Nine) must be able to benefit from the knowledge and tuition of the biology teacher at Bishops’ High School or Queen’s College.
“Today’s technology makes this easy with Skype. Distance or location must not be an impediment to this goal,” she declared.
In the area of health, she said that if a medic in Morawhanna (North West District) needs support with a medical issue in his community, he must be able to communicate online with a doctor in Georgetown or close by, for consultation and related assistance.
“We can generate economic growth and stimulate innovation in sectors such as health, education and trade; and here we are not talking about just handing out laptop computers, but by designing appropriate policies, establishing a proper regulatory framework, institutional strengthening, training and infrastructure, which have never been done on a national level to date,” she said.
She said the Government will ensure that affordable universal broadband access is available for all citizens, the private sector, Government and civil society, thereby eliminating the digital divide.
“Universal access will extend beyond voice to include Internet, computing devices, information literacy, and access to telecommunications services,” she declared.
Minister Hughes said the Government will create the enabling environment to ensure information and communications technology not only provides cross-cutting support to the existing productive sectors, but also becomes a standalone sector that will create revenue streams, employment, and contribute significantly to the country’s economy.
“Guyana, because of its competitive position in terms of salaries and cost of operations, has a tremendous opportunity to become a leading provider of ICT services in the Caribbean Region.
The local operations of two of the largest call centre providers in the industry and the call centre that I opened two months ago are already testimony to our long-term potential,” she stated.
“There are lots of young people with great ideas who are unable to convert those into sustainable income-generating operations. We will do that,” she added.
She said the enabling legislative environment must also be created to achieve the goals set out.
Further, the minister noted that all of these things cannot be implemented in a vacuum. “We will collaborate with all stakeholders to build a national ICT plan,” she promised.
