ICT roadshow exceeds expectations

─ Hailed a success by CTU Secretary-General, Min. Hughes

─  Youth Fair hosted

DPI Guyana, Friday, July 13, 2018

Secretary-General of the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU), Bernadette Lewis today said the inaugural Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Roadshow hosted here, exceeded expectations.

Speaking on the sidelines of the ICT Youth Fair at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, Lewis noted that the event achieved its objective of raising awareness on the transformative power of ICTs.

“It has been a tremendous time and we are very pleased with the outcome,” she noted.

Lewis called for more support from both the public and private sector for young people who are leading in new and emerging technologies. These include drones, artificial intelligence, robotics and virtual reality.

The Secretary-General called for a mental shift in the region that will see the sourcing of skills within the region, “we need to recognise the indigenous talent and give them the opportunity to develop.”

Lewis believes that ICTs offer a different opportunity for a “new kind of development”, noting that soon a number of jobs will become obsolete as the technology advances.

Minister of Public Telecommunications, Catherine Hughes expressed satisfaction with the participation at the roadshow, especially at the e-agriculture forums.

Most participants, she noted, left the workshops with a renewed sense on how to refocus the traditional agriculture sector into new avenues of earning revenue and expanding family agricultural ventures.

“How we can really take agricultural production to another level, to give it its rightful place in a world that is geared towards technology,” the minister alluded.

Minister Hughes said the e-agriculture forum also provided fresh perspectives on how government, in partnership with the business community and civil society can take agriculture to a new level by incorporating ICTs.

The roadshow wraps up on Saturday, July 14, with an e-agriculture forum which will be held at the Nand Persaud complex in East Berbice-Corentyne (Region six).

Today’s Youth Fair saw a robotics presentation by STEM Guyana and showcasing of the new technologies.

Young people were given the opportunity to interact with experts from the CTU, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and other local ICT clubs.

By: Stacy Carmichael

 

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