ICT AND THE 21ST CENTURY ECONOMY - THE NEED TO MOVE
I used to hear my grandmother say when someone is moving quickly, they are moving at nine knots an hour (actually, it used to sound like ‘noughts’ but let us move on). I think of that saying every day as I watch Guyana hurtle into being an economy dominated by Oil and Gas. We are moving at an extraordinary pace. Trying to plan and get ready, get trained, get equipped, while insisting on local content and complaining about a lack of thereof all at the same time. These are indeed heady days.
Everyone wants to be at the table realizing even at a distinctive level, that the potential of revenue and economic transformation is going to be immense. Some of you who know me well are aware that I have been arguing for the effective fusing of ICT into national development and economic advancement for years. The clear nexus between ICT and economic transformation has been on the multistakeholder table for at least 20 years. Since the late 1990s Caribbean governments and stakeholders had in principle recognized and articulated that a highly functioning Information Society was critical to the long term development of region and its citizens. Since then there have been a series of policy initiatives in an effort to achieve that goals. This efforts started with the Caricom Connectivity Agenda, which was officially launched in 2002. There was then the Caricom ICT for development regional programme (ICT4D) followed by the Regional Digital Development Strategy (RDDS).
All of these initiatives have now culminated into the Caricom Virtual ICT Space. The overall mandate of the Virtual Space, as the digital arm of the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME) is: “The creation of an ICT enabled borderless space to foster economic, social and cultural integration among Caribbean citizens. Its objectives also include the harmonization of ICT policies, legislation, regulations, technical standards, best practices, networks and services”. The message, sent via these project and related initiatives, has been clear. The full adoption and utilization of Information Technology is fundamental for improving the productivity of all sectors of the economy. It is a critical developmental instrument that can be used for the reduction of poverty, extending health services, increasing societal inclusiveness, and generally improving the life of the citizens in the Caribbean region. The successful creation of the Information Society would be the fulfillment of these regional goals. The criteria established for the measurement and evaluation of the Information Society also provides a clear overview of its overall success.
So here we are in 2019 on the cusp of on level of economic transformation and disruption that will not wait on any more policy speeches and communique and reward primarily those who are prepared and willing to compete in this new 21st Century environment. This environment is borderless and has rendered time and space and distance quite irrelevant. The call to us as citizens and businesspersons therefore is not just to prepare to participate in the Oil and Gas sector but more importantly to prepare for the economic environment that will emerge from its returns. This economy will be fast paced, knowledge and technology driven and a significant departure from what we have accustomed to for the past fifty years. We now have no choice but to modernize ourselves. As the saying goes, we either adapt or…I need not state the rest. An information society is fundamental to our successful entrance and participation in this new world in which we are about to engage. It is and will be a cross cutting component of everything that we do.
In support of this perspective what is required is a national information technology plan that can serve as the long term roadmap for national development and the rapid creation of an information society and knowledge driven economy. The ICT plan first of all should be positioned as a strategic priority area in the overall vision of national development. It should be based on two fundamental pillars; the growth of ICT as an independent dynamic sector and the application of ICT as a cross cutting component in all other sectors in order to achieve rapid and sustained development. These sectors must include education, health, governance, science, innovation and the creative industries. I need not tell anyone that information technology is a sector that changes, evolves and disrupts society on an almost daily basis. The plan therefore must be in a sense, a living document. It must be based on a dynamic planning model that allow for flexibility and rapid change in recognition of the constant evolution of this industry. I am happy to report however that has the past four to five years has seen significant change in the ICT landscape in Guyana. There are more companies offering ICT related services since the mid-1990s.
The game changing event during this period was the creation of an agency, The Ministry of Public Telecommunications specifically to foster the growth of ICT by the development of relevant policy, introducing capacity building and talent spotting initiatives, and the provision of connectivity in areas in remote and other underserved areas.
Training in coding and robotics are being provided either by the government, private sector, or a combination of both, in many parts of the country. Hackathons and Codesprints allows participants to show their talents and in many cases have gained employment and/or entrepreneurial interest. Some local firms are now working international companies doing ground breaking work. Informational events, in conjunction with regional organisations, have consistently shown Guyanese a wide possibilities of ICT once it is applied with the national and business context. Private sector IT firms are constantly hosting technical information sessions on the state and future of the industry.
As I said earlier, Guyana is evolving at a rapid rate. It is critical therefore that Guyana and its citizens are ready to live and compete in the new environment that will only be concerned with the efficient delivery of services. The majority, if not all of these services will be technology driven in some form. It is the knowledge and technology driven services that will compete successfully in this very demanding environment. Time will wait for no one. We need to move…and fast.