THE Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) recently observed 30 years of existence and was hailed for the work it has done in fostering a beneficial single Caribbean Information and Communication Technology (ICT) space.

The week-long 30th Anniversary celebration of the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU), which began on Monday, brought together Heads of Government, Telecommunications Ministers, representatives of private sector businesses, and ICT support organisations from across Latin America and the Caribbean.

“Thirty years ago, CTU embarked on a bold journey that has helped to transform the Region. Much progress has been made, but more work remains to be done.” Deputy Secretary-General, of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), Malcolm Johnson, shared on Monday at the Hyatt Regency in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.

According to a release from the Ministry of Public Telecommunications (MoPT), “The week of activities themed: “‘Digital transformation – Do it’, was headlined by a Heads of Government summit on Tuesday April 30, and a Ministerial Strategic ICT Plenary the following day.”

Guyana is being represented by Minister of Public Telecommunications, Cathy Hughes, accompanied by Ministerial Adviser, Lance Hinds, who has been awarded one of the seven accolades the CTU presented on Wednesday to ICT developers and mentors in the Region (Caribbean and Latin America). These awardees have already made significant contributions in their countries, helping to build the foundations for sound Internet Governance.

The release also indicated that the highlight of the 30th Anniversary event was the CTU’s Caribbean FutureScape, which is an immersive, interactive, virtual ICT experience intended to demonstrate the speed, efficiency, transparency, resilience, facility and simplicity of life in a fully integrated, digital Caribbean. FutureScape also demonstrates the high quality of life that comes with living in the Caribbean’s Single ICT Space.

“Utilising a virtual model of five Caribbean countries, Caribbean FutureScape simulates a Region in which citizens are able to move freely from one country to another with just digital identification,” the release explained. “[Citizens] could register a business, purchase goods, access medical records, participate in virtual classrooms, pay taxes, or visit digital courtrooms in any country participating in the FutureScape programme.”

“These technologies hold great potential for transforming our lives and delivering on the promise of the digital economy,” Minister Hughes stated, and identified one of the challenges as governments and the private sectors working together to make sure that the Region’s 11 Million youths, aged 15 to 29, acquire the right technological skills at high levels to sustain the digital economies.

She also stated, “I am so proud of my ICT Adviser and head of our Industry and Innovation, Lance Hinds, who was honoured for decades of service to the development of the Region’s ICT landscape.”

The ITU’s Deputy SG, also shared, “We are most grateful for the very productive track record of ITU and CTU working together over the last 30 years, and look forward to it growing stronger, especially in helping to achieve the Caribbean Single ICT Space, and the 21st Century government initiatives”.

According to him, 10 years ago, the ITU, the CTU and the European Commission launched the Harmonisation of ICT Policies, Legislation and Regulatory Procedures (HIPCAR) Project which was among the Region’s first efforts to help develop the Caribbean Single Market and Economy.

This project (HIPCAR) had brought together Caribbean governments, regulators, service providers, civil society, the private sector, and regional and international organisations to pave the way for critical ICT investments across the Region.

The CTU’s 30th Anniversary programme closes on Friday May 3 with across-the-board interactions on the best ways to boost small and medium scale private enterprises in the Caribbean with Information Communication Technologies.