Trinidad and Tobago as the ICT hub of the Caribbean

I came across an email I sent in 2014 to the Ministry of Planning. I had questions based on the following headline I had come across, "US$20m loan to make T&T regional ICT hub". I didn't receive answers to my questions in that email and I even sent another follow up to that email 7 years later today. The question I now have is what became of that loan and what became of that plan? These were the questions I sent then

  • What is an ICT HUB?
  • What are benefits of an ICT Hub?
  • Are there examples of other ICT Hubs around the world that we can look to?
  • What is the timeframe for creation of the ICT Hub?
  • Can you share some specifics about our to be ICT Hub?
  • Anything else that needs to be known about the ICT Hub?

Reading the article now, I see that the hub was related to our Global IT enabled Services project. So basically we were going to develop the skills needed to provide IT services on a global level. To my knowledge some examples of ITeS include helpdesk, back office, data center operations, web development services, and digital marketing.

A Google search for "ICT hub caribbean" shows that Guyana and Jamaica have aspirations of being the ICT hub of the Caribbean. To be an ICT hub we need a thriving ICT space in Trinidad and Tobago. See my youtube presentation I did on this topic - My Views on the Tech Space in Trinidad and Tobago. We need someone in a leadership position to boldly come out and say these are the things that define an ICT hub and these are the things we are going to do to be the ICT hub of the Caribbean. Action items with due dates and persons responsible. We also need a post mortem of what was done so far? What became of the loan? What became of the Global ITeS project?

Some things from the top of my head I would like to see that will assist in us becoming the ICT hub of the Caribbean

  • Tech as a manadatory subject like Maths and English
  • Grants for web development startups
  • Support for tech bloggers and youtubers
  • Wooing remote workers to our shores
  • Tech lab as described in my youtube video 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How does the sun set?

Image
This is a chapter from my fourth book called When hunger yearns This is the final chapter of this book. I imagine myself standing on the pigeon point jetty in Tobago. I imagine myself with camera in hand waiting for the perfect sunset. The day was long and this was a fitting end to a day of adventure. All good things must come to an end. Endings make way for new beginnings. The sun sets on our part of the world but rises in another part of the world. It is the cyclical nature of life. The waves gently come to shore and the tourists take their last dip in the sea. Life is full of ups and downs and everything comes in waves. A year ago I had no idea I would write this book but here I am today writing the final chapter. Soon I start my next book called Freedom. The sunset frees us from the heat of the day and brings the cool of the night. It quiets the mind and prepares us for the resting of our soul. A year ago on this day we were celebrating Eid. This year we celebrated Eid last week. N
Read more

What is the story behind the broken kite?

Image
This is a chapter from my fourth book called When hunger yearns The broken kite by Hassan Voyeau I had this idea. I would open the pen-up app and close my eyes and just draw random lines and then fill the random shapes formed with color. But what does my new art piece represent? I used Google lens and found that the closest match pointed to a gallery with a mixture of kites and vector art. Then it occured to me that it looks just like a broken kite. A kite that had gotten stuck in a tree and was pulled down but got broken and damaged in the process. It also kinda looks like a fish that got damaged too. Maybe it is a fish kite. I was reading about the history of the kite. The exact origin is unknown but it is believed that they were flown in China more than 1000 years ago. One suggestion is that a Chinese farmer tied a string to his hat to prevent it from flying off and that is how the first kite was born. In Japan they celebrate Children's Day with fish shaped kites called koinobor
Read more

Surfing

This is a chapter from my fifth book called Freedom My bags are packed, my people. I am going on an outing to a quiet surfing village in another part of the world. I have packed some shorts, armhole jerseys, a pair of flip flops and my gopro camera. It has been a while since I have gone to the beach. I live on an island and I cannot swim and I do not go to the beach. They really say that people do not appreciate what they have. Where I am heading I have to take a plane or two. I am going to Nosara in Costa Rica. Nosara is a village and district on Costa Rica's Nicoya Peninsula. It is known for the beaches, nature, and wildlife and of course surfing. The closest airport to Nosara is Tamarindo (TNO) Airport which is about 42 kilometers away. According to legend, Nosara is named after a Chorotega princess who died fighting for love on her beach. Sayonara, I am going to Nosara! Like how I rhymed that? And through the power of the internet I have landed on a beach in Nosara. I could jus
Read more

What is a beautiful word?

This is a chapter from my fourth book called When hunger yearns I woke up early and took a bath. I changed into comfortable clothing and I said my prayers and I laid down waiting for the rain they said we would get after midnight. While I was bathing a question entered my head. What is the most beautiful word? Beauty is subjective and there is beauty in all words. There are fancy sounding words and words from foreign languages and hardly heard of words and words that are hard to pronounce. There are simple words and words with little fanfare and words of frustration and words that make us giggle. There are all kinds of words that are beautiful in their own way. Napoleon Hill has told us that, "The most beautiful words in the world may well be that sweet, old-fashioned two-letter word, we." A simple word that signifies unity and connection. For me a beautiful word is a word that can express "peace of mind". I discovered the Swedish word lugn and I fell in love with i
Read more

Collector

This is a chapter from my fifth book called Freedom The quintessential collector. Have you witnessed one in your lifetime? These are collectors who embody the very essence of collecting. They are passionate, knowledgeable, and dedicated to their pursuit. I admire the commitment. I feel the passion. I am drawn to being a part of this. Why do people collect things? Certainly this is great as a hobby and gives you all the benefits of a hobby. If done correctly I suppose. Stress relief and mental well-being, learning new things, may involve physical health, then there is social connection and personal growth and accomplishment. Collecting things is a way of creating memories. For example some people who travel collect fridge magnets from the places they visit. Each magnet represents part of their personal map and a souvenir of the soul. Something to cherish and hold on to. The collector is making history and owns part of history. I figure it is linked back to our hunters and gatherers past
Read more