As work continues in realising the Caribbean Single ICT Space, we are joined, once again, by Jennifer Britton, of the CARICOM Secretariat, to give us an update of the work to date, upcoming milestones, and on important areas of focus moving forward.

 

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In the Caribbean tech space, there is much to grab our attention: the recovery and rebuilding efforts by the main telecoms carriers in the Bahamas following Hurricane Dorian; current and upcoming events, such as ICT Week in Suriname, and CaribNOG 18 in Antigua and Barbuda; along with a plethora of other ICT and tech-related news and developments from across the region. However, amidst all of that activity, and in the background, work continues on realising the Caribbean Single ICT Space, which is being spearheaded by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

For those who might still be unfamiliar with the term, the Caribbean Single ICT Space is

… a complex, cross-sectoral undertaking that is characterised as the digital layer of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME). It will allow for harmonisation of the ICT and other legislative frameworks, the removal of roaming charges, the encouragement of digital entrepreneurship, equipping all citizens as digital citizens and looking at ICT financial solutions among other regional benefits.

(Source:  CARICOM Today)

Essentially, the Single ICT Space seeks to remove the siloed approach to telecoms and ICT that currently exists in CARCIOM member countries, with the objective of creating an open, connected and harmonised space, which can be leveraged to advance CSME, as well as fostering the digital economy in individual countries and the region as a whole. However, coordinating such an initiative across (at least) the 15 full member states of CARICOM, most of which are sovereign countries, with their own priorities and imperatives, is indeed a challenge, and so requires a lengthy horizon over which to be realised.

Jennifer Britton (CARICOM Secretariat)

Last year, we were had an introductory conversation on the Single ICT Space initiative with Jennifer Britton, Deputy Programme Manager – ICT for Development, at the CARICOM Secretariat, in Guyana. Recently, we were able to have a follow up conversation with her to get an update on what has been achieved to date, and to understand what might be some of the current challenges, along with key areas that Jennifer is of the view, are deserving of more attention. However, some of the questions we posed to Jennifer are as follows:

  1. What has happened with respect to the Single ICT Space initiative since our last conversation in August, 2018?
  2. Following from our August 2018 discussion, how behind are we now, with respect to implementation of the roadmap for the Single ICT Space?
  3. Has there been any progress in countries becoming more aware and focusing on realising the digital economy?
  4. Is the recently signed the St Ann’s Declaration on CSME (by the CARICOM Heads of Government) likely to have any impact on the Single ICT Space?
  5. Has any progress been made with respect to the priority initiatives of the removal of roaming rates across the region?
  6. Another priority activity discussed last year was the creation of a Single ICT Space Partnerships framework. Has there been any progress on that matter?
  7. What are some of the key components of the Single ICT Space of which we should be aware moving forward?

 

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Select links

Below are links to some of the organisations and resources that either were mentioned during the episode, or otherwise, might be useful:

 

 

Image credits:  StockSnap (Pixabay);  J Britton 

Music credit:  Ray Holman

 

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