BLACK Bush Polder, East Berbice Corentyne is the most recent community in the country to benefit from an ICT hub and villages Yakusari and Johanna are already buzzing with activities.

Black Bush Polder, known as the bread basket of Region Six, is without landline and DSL services. Few people have data plans on their cell phone and when word spread that they will be connected to the Internet for free via an ICT hub provided by the government, they could not contain their excitement.

Old and young alike came out to the Yakusari Community Centre last Friday as the government handed over the 10 laptop computers and connected them to the Internet via the hub which was set up two weeks ago.
Minister of Telecommunications, Cathy Hughes, on Friday visited the community to officially commission the ICT hub at the Yakusari Training Centre, Black Bush Polder, East Berbice, Corentyne.

During her address, she spoke of the immense opportunities available from the Internet and highlighted the “real possibilities” the Internet provides. Noting that Guyana is behind when it comes to technology, the telecommunications minister said her ministry has taken the
challenge and the race is on to bridge the technology gap.

She said Guyanese need to quickly get with the programme as she projects within the next 10 years at least 70 per cent of jobs globally will depend on computer skills.
“I want to tell you, times have changed, jobs are different, you don’t have to go to somebody’s office and sit down and they pay you. This is where the Internet offers you great learning and entrepreneurial benefits. We are going to put Internet at the post offices, hospitals, health centres, all the agencies that provide government services around your community.

“We will put Internet there not only in the schools and ICT hubs but in all those places … it makes it easier so by next year you may be able to do the entire process online. There are going to be 200 services that all our citizens need, By the end of next year you will be able to access these services online where you can get it done from home.”

LINKING SERVICES
She noted the opportunities to be gained from linking services with various agencies and how at the community level it can benefit ordinary persons.
“For women, we want to give them opportunity to showcase their products to the world by having access to the Internet and promoting such through social media network. Whatever small business you are involved in, these will be mediums to showcase their products which give you access to markets throughout the country and further afield. So the Internet gives you a wide range of people to connect to showcase your products.

“For the older people we want to continue learning and for the younger people there are many free online courses that you can take advantage of.” She further explained that through forward thinking and partnerships with committed volunteers the Ministry is quickly connecting the
entire country and urged the residents to make the best of the facility and the opportunities that are available to catch up.

“The first thing we did was to put Internet in over 100 high schools throughout Guyana, then we decided on the Internet hubs so people in communities who don’t have access to the Internet will still have an option. We are at 123 hubs at the moment, and the most are in Region Six which has 17, Region Five which has seven, with hope for expansion.”
The project is made possible through the Ministry of Telecommunications after residents approached the office of the Prime Minister in Region Six for computers to set up IT classes at the Yakusari community Centre.

Gobin Harbhajan, the PM’s representative decided to investigate further and made contact with the Ministry of Telecommunications.
“After they told me they don’t have landline or Internet access, I said, what’s the point of having computers if you can’t have access to the Internet? So I contacted the relevant agencies and the honourable minister who committed to make it happen.”

The rest quickly fell into place as the office of the PM and the Ministry of Telecommunications, through the National Data Management Authority, worked hand-in-hand to get the hub up and running. The community centre was hooked up as well as the nearby Yakusari and Johanna Primary Schools
Also present were members of the private sector, the PM Regional Representative Gobin Harbhajan, Chairman of National Data Management Authority, Floyd Levi, residents and students of Black Bush Polder.