GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – A senior official of the Guyana-based Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat says careful validation, collaboration, and ethical considerations are pivotal to shaping digital Development and confronting the challenges of rapid technological change.
“We are witnessing rapid advancements that are reshaping how societies, economies, and institutions operate. From the wide spread of artificial intelligence and machine learning to the expansion of cloud computing and blockchain technology, digital innovations are driving unprecedented opportunities for inclusion, efficiency, and sustainable growth,” said the CARICOM Secretariat’s Programme Manager, Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D), Jennifer Britton.
Jennifer Britton
“This rapid evolution also brings challenges—cybersecurity threats, data privacy concerns, and digital divides that require careful validation, collaboration, and ethical considerations,” she told the technical validation workshop for the regional ICT Sector Gap Analysis Project funded by the 11th European Development Fund (EDF).
Workshop participants included representatives of member states and two regional organizations that are members of the Regional ICT Cluster of agencies, the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) and the Caribbean Broadcasting Union (CBU).
The project’s main objective is to assess the state of the ICT sector in each CARICOM member state and to use the findings to inform a digital agenda and a cooperation framework. It enables the region to assess its digital maturity, opportunities, and challenges in the post-COVID era.
The Secretariat stated that the project’s outputs included 20 ICT country profiles, a Digital Agenda 2030, a draft Cooperation Framework, and a Compass and ICT Maturity Index.
Britton said it is vital for the region’s collective efforts to focus on ensuring that digital Development in CARICOM member states remains purposeful, equitable, and aligned with shared goals for a more connected and resilient future.
“It is also important that we assess our ability to contribute with new data to the ongoing global processes related to digital development,” she said, noting that ICT practitioners can influence the course of digital transformation in CARICOM, fostering innovations that are not only technologically advanced but also socially responsible.
CARICOM’s digital Development is grounded in the Development of a Single ICT Space, which Heads of Government approved in 2017. Among the components of the Single ICT space development are bringing technology to the people, encouraging entrepreneurial activity, strengthening cyber security, and mobilizing resources for investments in ICT.
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