Major investors interested in ICT sector –Go-Invest CEO

GINA, GUYANA, Tuesday, September, 20, 2016

Continuous development in the area of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is signalled for Guyana as interests and applications for investments in the sector have been submitted to the Guyana Office for Investment (GO-Invest).

The agency’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Owen Verwey told the Government Information Agency (GINA) that, “specifically, Information Communication and Technology is an interest in this market for the call centres or what they call business processing outsourcing. We have had two major clients, and we have got others that are interested in this market.”

Owen Verwey, Chief Executive Officer, Guyana Office for Investment

Owen Verwey, Chief Executive Officer, Guyana Office for Investment

This aspect of ICT investment garners the opportunity for job creation and modernisation of the local ICT market. The CEO further added that due to restructuring of the application process to make it more efficient, there has been a delay in the process’ completion.

“Those are the areas in which we have been seeing applications coming, and they have been processed pretty well so far. There was some slowdown in how those are being processed because the processes were changing and we are getting to the bottom of that, have been moving forward,” Verwey explained.

Minister of Public Telecommunications Catherine Hughes, in a recent press statement pointed out the importance of having ICT systems and networks implemented in Guyana.

Minister of Public Telecommunications, Catherine Hughes

Minister of Public Telecommunications, Catherine Hughes

Minister Hughes said, “Here we are talking about an interconnected digital platform that will provide government services to citizens in an efficient, cost effective and time saving manner. It is about establishing 21st century systems that can manage all government and private sector data in a safe and secure manner.”

In 2010, Guyana secured a US$32M loan from the China Export Import (EXIM) bank with an aim of developing ICT infrastructure to facilitate an E-government network.

The network is expected to be further expanded to provide internet access to schools and governmental agencies while increasing bandwidth and improving the levels of internet accessibility.

The Ministry of Business is currently working to have two call centres at Enmore, East Coast Demerara and Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo fully operationalised shortly.

With the implementation of ICT systems through investments, Guyana is expected to provide better technological services, thereby enhancing communication, and information access and data storage.

 

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