From 24–25 March, Grenada will be the venue for the third in a series of workshops aimed at harnessing the power of Caribbean innovation as an engine of technology-enabled development and enterprise. The Caribbean ICT Roadshow has been held 21 times in 18 Caribbean countries.
The workshops are part of a broader World Bank-funded initiative called CARCIP, the Caribbean Communications Infrastructure Program, which is coordinated by the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU). CARCIP aims to clear the path for local innovators and entrepreneurs to develop world-class, locally driven, technology-enabled services that address the needs of Grenada and the wider Caribbean.
The Grenada workshop will be held at the Radisson Convention Center in Grand Anse. Presenters include Dr Farid Youssef, Faculty of Medical Sciences, The University of the West Indies, St Augustine, and Norman Gibson, expert in rural development and environmental management in the Caribbean.
“The CTU has been the regional pioneer for initiatives designed to build awareness of ICTs and to promoteinnovative, beneficial use of the technologies in Caribbean countries for fostering national and Caribbean development,” said Bernadette Lewis, Secretary General of the CTU. The underlying philosophy of the CTU’s engagement with the region through CARCIP, Lewis said, is that the very same conditions that present severe challenges for the region are also creating unique opportunities.
In the case of Grenada, the CARCIP workshop is an opportunity to deepen the Government’s ongoing thrust to develop the country’s ICT sector. “We are extremely proud to be the next host of the CTU’s CARCIP Innovation Workshops, and we look forward to discovering new ways to apply technology to everyday challenges,” said Jacinta Joseph, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Communication, Works, Public Utilities, Physical Development and ICT, Grenada.
CARCIP is a partnership between the World Bank and the Governments of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Lucia and Grenada, alongside regional organisations such as the Eastern Caribbean Telecommunications Authority (ECTEL) and the Caribbean Knowledge and Learning Network (CKLN), all under the coordination of the CTU.
By Linda Straker
