Grenada ICT Week - the future of technology in the public sector

We in the Caribbean share a similar journey. We are considered small island developing states. We can learn from each other. We are challenged by some of the same things. We are all trying to use technology for country development. The Grenada ICT Week happens at the Grenada Trade Centre from February 25 to March 3 2023. Local, regional and international experts discuss the increasing role of technology in business, government, and society. I signed up for the Public Sector Forum through online participation.

In researching and to learn more about what is happening in Grenada, I found this presentation on the Caribbean Development Bank website from 2019 titled Grenada's Public Service Transformation and a vision was clearly defined. Government needs to be smarter and resilient. Doing business should be simple, fast and convenient. They should be guided by data driven policies, regulations and processes. There should be flexible deployment of resources. There should be a whole-of-government approach to work. I like how this is expressed and this is probably still applicable today with some tweaking.

I tuned in to the live stream and here are my takeaways. Bevil Wooding pointed out that Grenada and the region has not made full use of technology for several reasons. We have to get the most out of the investments we make in the digital future. Government and private sector collaboration is needed. There has to be movement from talk to action. Rodney Taylor from the CTU gave a recorded video speech. He said that we have to keep up with the pace of technology. The aim is to make the lives of citizens easier. Technology is the easy part. We have to change the way we think. We have to innovate and collaborate.

Minister Lennox Andrews responsible for ICT in Grenada gave us his words. He said it is inspiring to see young and bright West Indians wanting to help people and see our region move forward. Government services must be digital. There needs to be policy and frameworks. Citizens in Grenada must be able to participate with internet and smart devices. Egovernment has several benefits. High on the agenda in Grenada is the Digital Government for Resilience Project. Projects focusing on cybersecurity, providing internet and laptops for the underpriveleged and providing public wifi are also on the agenda.

Naela Serras from ICANN gave some remarks. Vincent Roberts of NTRC in Grenada also gave some remarks. He said Grenada lacks a physical address infrastruture. This matters in ecommerce and the delivery of goods. The NTRC (National Telecommunications Regulatory Commission) for Grenada gave a presentation on their universal service fund projects and initiatives. In the final presentation several policy priority items were identified which were infrastructure, open initiatives, digital entrepreneurship, digital leadership and global positioning. I applaud the organisers and participants and would like to see more events like this in the Caribbean in the future. Progress is being made and this warms my heart. There are benefits to digital transformation but these must reach citizens.