THE government is committed to improving the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector through the facilitation of various educational, developmental and youth training programmes countrywide.
This was emphasised at a graduation ceremony held for the ICT Summer Camp by the Office of the Prime Minister, which saw over 101 youths receiving the ICT certification and many other prizes on Saturday.

During his feature address at the graduation ceremony, Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister, Kwame McCoy, highlighted the importance of ICT training in moving Guyana forward, as the government focuses on meeting many of its goals by 2030.

“We are going to work very hard to make sure that we create that brighter future, not only through ICT but [also] through every possible opportunity that exists in our society, that our young people must be able to grasp at and be able to utilise it to make themselves prosperous,” he said.

He told the graduates that the training programme formed part of the government’s plan for prosperity.
“… honing in on ICT was one component of that plan, and it was deliberately so because ICT is an area that each and everyone should be involved in because it is part of the future. Our consciousness as a government from the inception was to make ICT an important area for focus and development because we want ICT to be part of building our economy and supporting our national development,” the minister noted.

Minister McCoy said the government is dedicated to incorporating ICT in the various sectors.
The ICT summer camp was held from August 22-26 at Dolphin Secondary School. It instructed participants in information technology basics, coding, cyber security, robotics and python.

The camp was held under the theme: “Creating a brighter future through ICT.”
Many participants lauded the programme, saying that it has helped to enhance their knowledge in ICT.

One such participant was Leana Kirton, who divulged that the knowledge gained from the programme would assist her in getting a job.
“Ninety per cent of the jobs right now require you to know something about IT or using a computer, so I’m sure it will help me in the future,” she said. Chairperson of the Positive Foundation, Stayce Cuffy and Director of the Industry and Innovations Unit of the Office of the Prime Minister, Shahrukh Hussain, were also at the graduation. (DPI)