MINISTER of Public Telecommunications, Cathy Hughes has said that close to 200 government services will be placed Online as her ministry is continuing its work to expand access to Information and Communication Technology (ICT) countrywide.
“My hope is that in every single community; whether you are along the coast, in the city or in rural, hinterland or a poor community, if you as a citizen do not have access to the internet in your home then there is some space that you could go and get on a computer, free of charge,” she noted in a recent interview with the Guyana Chronicle.
ICT hubs are spaces that have been established in communities so allow residents to have access to internet and computer services. So far, 174 hubs have created across the country over the past three years.
The goal of the ICT hub programme, however, is to have some 426 hubs established across the country within the next few years, because of the unique potential it has for the decentralisation of services.
“What we want is that by 2020, this ministry is going to be able to say that we have close to 200 government services online,” the Minister said. She explained that it is the intention of the government to move away from having persons, especially in outlying areas, go to physical location in a town to access important services like applying for a Taxpayer’s Invoice Number (TIN) or a licence.
“As a citizen, you could go to a hub and transact your business; apply for your TIN; apply for your passport; apply for your driver’s licence, to the state where instead of having to do two or three visits, you only have to go once to collect the licence or the passport.”
She posited that in so doing, the time spent accessing these services would be significantly reduced and more importantly, citizens would have easier access to these since they would be able to do so from right in their respective communities.
The minister noted also that while these hubs will be key in the decentralisation of government services, they also have a myriad of other functions that promote community development.
“You could use it for business, online learning, telemedicine [and] entrepreneurial activity,” she said.
The drive to put these services online is part of the wider governmental mandate to decentralise services.
