Gov’t continues to deliver ICT to Hinterland Communities

September 3, 2023

Hinterland residents will continue to reap tremendous benefits from the government’s ICT Access and eService for Hinterland Poor and Remote Communities Project, being implemented by the Office of the Prime Minister.

While addressing Amerindian leaders recently at the National Toshaos Council (NTC) Conference 2023, Project Manager, Ronald Harsawack noted that the initiative will benefit 200 Amerindian communities.

Ronald Harsawak, Project Manager, ICT Access and eService for Hinterland Poor and Remote Communities Project

He said funding for the project came from the Original Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) funds to the tune of US $17 million, or some GY $3.5 billion.

“We believe that ICT can be an enabler to boost development in these communities. We know the importance of ICT…Over the past two years coming out of the Covid pandemic where all of us were forced to operate from our offices or home, we saw the importance of ICT…connectivity,” he explained.

He noted that once the project is implemented in various communities, persons can benefit from the GOAL scholarship programme and other government services. It will also make it easier to do business and help save on time and transportation costs.

“We want to ensure that we have as many services as possible online, so from the comfort of your home you must be able to click a few buttons and you should be able to submit forms and get all the work done online to avoid the whole hassle of travelling and moving to Georgetown,” the project manager explained.

Harsawack noted that there are some challenges in completing the project in certain areas, which include weather, terrain, and other factors.

Meanwhile, he disclosed that 121 village councils were given grants to construct the facilities for ICT hubs, with 79 grants still to be signed. To date, 90 hubs have been completed and are functioning.

“You could go into these hubs and access the computer system, printing, and scanning services. Many of the hubs have already started to do offline work, many of the teachers are using them to prepare notes of lessons. I have seen some village councils preparing their reports for onward submissions to the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs. So while we do not have internet dedicated to the hub as yet, we are having good utilisation of those hubs from those village councils,” Harsawak stated.