My Takeaways from TTIGF 2021

Trinidad and Tobago Internet Governance Forum is a yearly event that brings together persons interested in discussing topics related to our use of the internet. Every year since 2018 I religiously tune in and make notes so that I can share on my blog. These are my takeaways from the different panel discussions. These are paraphrased in my words.

DIGITALIZATION – The Multistakeholder Approach

  • The pandemic is forcing us to advance the digital agenda locally
  • Digital transformation is a group effort, we all have our part to play
  • When going digital, a shared vision is important
  • Good communications is pivotal to team work and multistakeholder approach
  • Time to spend the money and just do it but how to decide what to spend on
  • Our education system is not working for us
  • Transformation is more than automation and putting things online, process reengineering is needed
Cybersecurity in the New Norm
  • Online is here to stay and we cannot decide to stay away as a way of dealing with online threats
  • Outdated devices and software and misconfiguration are seen plenty with online attacks
  • Make sure disaster recovery planning includes cyber threats
  • Phishing, malware and botnets are some of the main threats
  • Education is key to treating with cyber security
  • Collaboration is another key to treating with cyber security
TECH & EDUCATION – Revolutionising Education for a Digital World
  • Critical thinking and innovation needed in a digital world
  • What are the vision and goals for our education system
  • Bottom up roots up change is needed and not just the application of technology
  • Collaboration and team work needed more than individual work and competition in education and learning
  • We need technology education that teaches concepts more than specifics to deal with quickly changing technology
  • Creativity and agility are keys to success
DIGITAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP
  • Collaboration and creating an enabling environment are keys to digital entrepreneurship uptake
  • We need to overhaul the banking systems to facilitate ecommerce
  • We need more persons to speak about their experiences and see what is possible
  • We need to be thinking outside the box
  • The call for remote workers to come and live in Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean is a great idea and creates meeting ground and ecosystem
  • Think about the problems we can solve and at scale

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Wandering

This is a chapter from my fifth book called Freedom I sit quietly with my thoughts in the middle of nowhere. I think of only the good. The rainy season is coming. The plants will be green like they should be. The flowers will be happy with the colors of thunder. The birds will dance at the sight of nature's growing abundance. The wind walks by with a smile on his face. The road home is winding. The smell of the ladies of the night plant echoes through the slumber of the night. The owl wants to know who sits here. The leaves have forgotten where they are going. They are content to just wander under the moonlight. The moon likes when we write poems about the moon. The moon snores loudly in tandum with the swaying of the clouds. The trees clap because it is breezy. Life should always be this easy. Words slowly drip from the leaves of contentment. The world of the bothersome we leave behind. Rivers become shivers. The night is cold. The mosquitos are bold. I hear the ocean sing about s
Read more

Mangoes

This is a chapter from my fifth book called Freedom I am taking us on an epicurious journey. A sweet escape. A juicy reprieve. A mangolicious passage that is ripe for the picking. Who does not like mango? I do not know of a single person who does not like mango. If you do not like mango, are you even human? Mango is the most likable fruit in the world. Often referred to as the king of fruits. There are mango festivals that celebrate this great fellow. Right now in Trinidad I am seeing posts on facebook for the upcoming Mango Melee festival. I was curious and confused about the word melee. The dictionary has the meaning to be "a confused fight or scuffle" and "a confused crowd of people". The festival website says that the word "melee" has many meanings, the definition for our movement is a "shindig: a lively party, especially one celebrating something." Our use in this way locally might be a derivation it seems. I do not know if this is an exagge
Read more

Winds

This is a chapter from my fifth book called Freedom Growing up in the tropics I got used to needing a fan on me at all times to keep cool. Only the rich could afford air conditioning when I was growing up. The fan breeze even with its humming was what sent me to sleep and kept the mosquitos away at night. My job was to clean the fans and even oil it when it needed to be oiled. Island breezes are a quintessential Caribbean experience. I remember basking in the very windy side of Pigeon Point beach. This made it my favorite beach in Tobago. I remember leaving the front and back doors open at the apartment I was staying in Tobago and allowing the cool Tobago breeze to fill the room while I slept. I remember experiencing kite flying in the savannah for Easter weekend. I remember driving through the mountains to Maracas with the winds hitting my face. I love the huge overhead fans at the Center of Excellence. Stormy and windy nights are not to be left out. Even though no one wants the damag
Read more

May

This is a chapter from my fifth book called Freedom It is Wednesday the first of May. April showers bring May flowers. This has not been the case (at least this year) in Trinidad. There were hardly any April showers. We are on the lookout for May showers. This is my birthday month. I was supposed to start this book in May but I got a head start in April and it did not disappoint me. Below are what I initially started to call affirmations. My friend Gemini tells me that affirmations do not typically begin with the word "may". Affirmations aim for a stronger tone of conviction like "we will". He tells me that ultimately, the most important thing is to find affirmations that resonate with you and feel empowering. So, if "may" affirmations work for you, go for it! I guess these are intentions more than affirmations. They represent hopes and aspirations. These are powerful statements of what we desire to experience or bring into our life. They set the tone and
Read more

How can you make money online in Trinidad and Tobago?

This is a common question. Maybe you are now out of school. Maybe you are looking for a side hustle. Trinidad and Tobago has good internet infrastructure and good options for high speed broadband internet and mobile internet. We have cheap electricity. We have free education. We have no taxes on computer equipment. We have an enabling environment for persons who want to make money. One question that will arise as you make plans for your hustle is how do you accept payments online? Services like Paypal are not officially supported in Trinidad. Wipay is an alternative that was started in Trinidad. If you are getting paid through Youtube and adsense you can have a check mailed to you. If you are working for a remote employer you can have them wire transfer your salary. If you are advertising your services online, it helps to have a strong online presence. Make it easy for potential clients to find you and interact with you. There are freelance services marketplaces like Fiverr. There are
Read more